A Walk With Brother Turtle
by SunLux
Summary: A modern woman with Native American roots sees a murder that causes her to flee to the sewers for safety. The turtles are cautious, but an old enemy resurfaces bringing chaos and connections to their secluded lives. Leo is forced to trust again as he and his brothers fight alongside new allies. DonxOC, LeoxOC, RaphxOC, MikeyxOC. Rated M for language and violence in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my 2nd fanfic, so please R&R! The story is mostly written, so I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1

It was late, so T'mana decided to take a short cut down the southern alley. She had done it before and it wasn't a very long alley, but it would save her five minutes. She smiled to herself at the irony. Her mother had named her T'mana, a Filipino tribal word for 'walk,' in the hopes that her daughter would move slowly through life instead of rush. Her mother was what most would refer to as a 'hippie'. Peace, love and harmony were her mother's legacy and truest belief. She had meant well when she named her daughter, but T'mana had wished she had been named Sue or Megan her entire childhood. Explaining to other five year olds what her name meant always labeled her as 'weird'. It was T'mana's fate to be different. She was, after all, a Native American with a Filipino name. To make matters worse, T'mana had jet-black hair and slightly almond shaped eyes so everyone assumed she was Asian. But her skin was a dark copper color that was far more rugged and weather worn than the delicate porcelain skin of an Asian beauty. No matter how hard she struggled, she never quite seemed to fit in. Until one day, T'mana just didn't care.

Now, she went through her life proud of her name. But that didn't mean she honored it. She was a tyrant for punctuality and scheduling. And right now, she was late because the bus she had taken took an unscheduled stop. It threw off her rhythm and she needed to get back in sync with her schedule. Cutting through the alley would achieve that.

It was late. After nine o'clock. What could she possibly be rushing to at this late hour? A date? No, of course not. Twenty-six years old on a Friday night and she was rushing home to Skype with her mother of all people. But if she was late, she would never hear the end of it and she would be guilted into actually visiting her mother in Jersey instead of Skyping. Jersey wasn't far, but it was a whole country of its own and T'mana preferred to not venture beyond her new city limits of New York just yet.

T'mana turned the corner smoothly, her ballet style shoes whisper quiet on the pavement. A good thing, because she had stepped into a hold up. The gunman had the man against the brick wall of the building, the poor man clutching his brief case in front of him as if it were body armor. The Suit was trembling and the gunman stood unwavering. It took her a moment to understand what she was seeing. And then, without warning, the gun went off. T'mana couldn't close her eyes; they were so wide with terror. She let out a small gasp, trying to keep quiet and still her fear, but the gunman turned from the crumpled man and saw her watching him. Her heart literally skipped a beat and time seemed to freeze as several things happened at once. She dropped her purse and turned on her heel to run back to the main street out of the alley. The crowd that infuriated her day after day would prove to be her salvation now. At the same instant, the gunman raised his arm to take aim as he stepped toward her. Then time expanded like a rubber band and everything snapped back into real time.

She was now running but to her dismay, the streets were empty. She could hear the gunman's footfalls behind her and knew his stride was longer than hers, so she picked up speed to try to keep ahead of him. She turned a corner and found herself down another alley. She heard something flick against the brick wall she had just been in front of and realized why she hadn't heard a gunshot. The weapon had a silencer on it. Not your everyday garden-variety criminal. Panic flared and the desperate need to disappear took the imperative over her empty lungs and burning legs. She turned another corner and saw an open manhole. Without thinking, she careened for it and jumped down full force without looking. She landed hard and fell on her knee as she braced with her wrist and palm, but she was up in a flash and running again, ignoring the sewage and grime that now covered her. She thanked whatever powers there were that she was wearing khakis with a blazer instead of a suit skirt today. Running was far easier when you were wearing pants. She pulled out her keys which she kept clipped to her belt and pressed the keychain flashlight to help her see a little better. She knew it would help her pursuer pinpoint where she was, but she didn't want to run into a wall and knock herself unconscious. The keychain was weak, but offered up enough light for her to know when to turn or go straight.

She felt something whiz against her left temple as it ruffled her hair and she screamed involuntarily. She turned again, terror boiling in her blood so furiously she felt her heart would burst. She didn't want to die. She loved her life and wanted desperately to go back to it. In the back of her mind she knew her mother would be angry when she didn't show up for the Skype session. But she also knew her mother would panic when she didn't answer her phone. The phone she had dropped in the alleyway when she let her purse fall from her arm. She couldn't even call for help. She knew that there would be no escaping this. The gunman with the silenced weapon didn't seem the type to give up and let a witness go free. But T'mana held on to some futile hope that it would all end soon and, somehow, in her favor.

No sooner had she thought this than she came to a tumbling halt as the man appeared in front of her from the shadows. He had a wicked grin on his face, clearly proud that he had outsmarted his prey. She didn't scream, but she did take a step back. His gun was poised at her and she now took in his face, muddled as it was from the shadows of the night lit sewers.

"Sorry, kid." The man growled, not sounding at all remorseful. "Wrong place at the wrong time." He moved his finger to the trigger, but hesitated. "Aren't you going to beg?" He needled. "Aren't you gonna say 'oh please don't shoot me. I promise I won't tell.'?"

She tried to swallow but there was no spit in her mouth. Her heart beat so hard it was hurting.

"It wouldn't stop you." She said, proud that her voice wasn't shaky or timid. But she felt she would shatter apart from the tremors that seemed to originate in her bones. She had never been so afraid and it seemed like her body would eventually break down into molecules if it continued.

"No." The gunman smiled, his crooked grin widening at the thought. He raised his arm back up to shoot her when a green blur tackled the gunman.

"Wanna dance?" a gritty voice challenged. It was a different voice. T'mana decided she didn't want to dance and didn't hesitate to run full speed out of the tunnel. She didn't know who or what jumped in, but she wasn't going to wait around and find out if it was friendly or not. She ran for a few seconds until she saw light shining from above. A manhole left uncovered! She climbed the ladder, ignoring the groaning metal as she stepped up without hesitation. If she could just find people she would be safe. A crowd was what she needed. She was almost there when the ladder shuddered with a terrible clank and squeal. She felt the ladder breaking from the wall, having rusted some years without cleaning or reparation. She wasn't to the surface yet, but her fingers grabbed at the pavement and she begged for just a few seconds to get a good grip to climb up. The ladder shuddered again.

"Please…" she begged softly and with a heartbreaking desperation that seemed to go unheard as the ladder broke off below her. Her fingers dug into the pavement, but she was not high enough to get a good grip. She was slipping and she knew she was going to fall and then land on the ladder that just fell so she would probably die from the impact as it snapped her back or broke her leg. Either way made survival difficult for her. She fell silently, instinctively not wanting to attract the gunman's attention.

She hit something that almost seemed to cradle her, but then collapsed under her impact. She was on her back, but bent around something. She tried to stand and move away to see what it was she landed on because it certainly hadn't felt like a ladder to her. It seemed rather like a person and if it was the gunman she wanted to take advantage of his falling down. But it took her a moment to steady herself and when she turned, she saw the figure already seemed to have righted itself. She blinked convinced that she had hit her head.

What she was seeing was not human. Well, mostly not human. It was a sort of… turtleman. A very intense, intimidating turtleman. He did not hold a weapon that she could see, but his stance and his physique told her she did not want this creature as her enemy. It stood on two legs like a human and it wore a blue mask that covered its eyes. She saw the creature watching her as intently as she was watching him. She blushed slightly, imagining what she must look like. But she had certainly not gotten out of the woods yet, so she kept her movements slow and cautious. She was ready to bolt away the moment the opportunity presented itself. She was not entirely sure she was seeing what she was seeing.

Just then, she heard noises coming from the tunnel she had come from: grunting and a long sandpapery sound. Like something being dragged. Sure enough, within a moment another turtleman, this one with a red mask, came through the tunnel dragging the gunman. She took a quick deep breath to hide her shock. What if the gunman suddenly turned and shot her? What if he was only pretending? She took a step back without realizing it and attracted the red turtleman's attention. He glanced at her, clearly didn't think much of her and turned to the blue turtleman.

"Bag'im and tag'im?" He asked the blue turtleman with a rough, but genial timbre. Blue nodded.

"Hey guys, what's going on? I got a text-" Another turtleman! Purple mask. "Whoa." He said, looking at the man and then T'mana. "Are you alright?" The purple one asked. They were talking. Talking turtlemen. And this one was looking at her. Was it talking to her?

"I'm not hurt." She answered automatically. She didn't quite believe she was okay, so she felt her answer was safer.

"But not alright?" Purple asked, smiling slightly. She blinked. Another one entered from the tunnel in front of her.

"S'going on?" She let her eyes fall on the fourth turtleman. His mask was orange. How many were there? Purple apparently read her mind and answered her unasked question.

"Don't worry. There aren't any more. Just the four of us." He was still smiling a quiet smile which put her a little at ease. Only a little. They were all looking at her now. She returned their looks for only a moment before her eyes fell to the sewer floor. Then her eyes edged their way over to the collapsed gunman. Well, whatever they were, they weren't attacking her and they didn't seem like they were going to. Asking if she was alright hardly seemed a threatening gesture. They clearly seemed intelligent and understanding.

She was used to animals. It was part of her job to work with exotic and endangered species. But these were unlike anything she had ever seen before. She chanced a quick look at them, taking a quick glance at each one and they all seemed to be waiting and watching her. She realized they were feeling the same way about her. Surely, if she was actually seeing turtlemen, they would be concerned about who saw them and their reaction. Her heart had slowed noticeably and the sight of the incapacitated gunman cooled down her adrenaline flow that had pumped her muscles into action.

She looked up directly at the red one and spoke.

"Thank you." She pointed to the gunman. "For stopping him. I would be dead now if you hadn't." She didn't assume the red one did it on purpose, but she wanted to let him know her appreciation anyway.

"Don't worry about it." He said gruffly. She licked her lips and asked what she had wanted to know since she first saw the gunman's crumpled body.

"Is he…?"

"No." Blue answered firmly. "But he does have a date with the police. Raph?" Red smiled and began to drag the gunman away.

"With pleasure." Red growled and he was gone. She watched until she could no longer see the man anymore. She waited until the tip of his shoe was gone and she could hear the whisper of his dragging body in the distance. She exhaled in relief with him out of her sight and turned to the blue turtle.

"And you." She said. "Thank you. The fall would have killed me, too if you weren't there." Blue nodded solemnly.

"You're welcome." He answered. His voice was quiet but full of authority. Purple came forward and began to look at her as if she were a specimen in a cage. She turned and backed away, uncomfortable under his intrusive gaze. He stopped, realizing what he was doing and looked her in the face.

"Sorry!" He said and she could believe that he was. "I was just-" He stopped abruptly and looked closer at her face. Had they never seen humans before? Was she the first? She jerked back as he reached for her face. "Sorry." He said again, quietly. He actually sounded hurt. He pointed to his temple. "You're hurt." He explained.

"I'm not hurt." She echoed robotically the words from earlier.

"Right here." Again, he gestured to his own head and she felt compelled to touch her temple. She flinched when she felt pain flare up. She ran her finger over her temple a ways and found a long gash. She also felt a great deal of wetness and matted hair. In her panic and adrenaline infused flight, she hadn't felt the pain.

"Oh!" She whimpered weakly in shock as she felt her skull through a torn gap in her skin. She had kept herself on a peripheral angle to make herself a smaller target. As a result, none of them had seen the injury until the purple one had done a quick inspection of her.

"Guess you did hit your head when you fell." Blue said. Purple frowned as if disagreeing. She knew what it was and it made her ill. She had been shot. She had felt the bullet whiz by, but hadn't felt the bullet hit her as it grazed her skin and split it open.

"Maybe." She said quietly.

"Mind if I…?" Purple gestured to her wound.

"Is it, like, really bad?" Orange asked. Purple frowned at Orange.

"No. Mikey. She's going to be fine. Go see if Raph needs help."

"Kay…if you say so." Mikey bounded out of the tunnel and she was left with Blue and Purple.

"I just want to take a quick look. I promise I won't hurt you." Purple vowed. She didn't answer him, but turned her head allowing him access to her wound. He took the invitation and gently lifted her black hair out of the way to see the wound. He sighed. "That's not a blunt force wound." He intoned. "Looks more like a-" He stopped short when she pulled away and tucked her hair behind her ear. A nervous habit that was now rather painful.

"Bullet." She finished softly.

"If I could just-" Purple began, but Blue cut him off.

"Why was that man chasing you with a gun? Why was he shooting at you?"

"I…I saw something." She said. She blinked and saw the gunman shoot the man in the suit behind her eyelids. She opened them quickly.

"What did you see?" He was firm and demanding, but not cruel. She knew that he wanted to know if she was going to be a problem for him. She could sense now that he was a sort of leader and that he was looking out for the other three. She decided that strange as her situation was, his was stranger.

"I saw him kill a man." She explained. "He just…shot him. He just shot him." Her voice betrayed her fear with a haunted tone. She saw the blue one relax just a little bit.

"He can't hurt you now." Blue stated. He meant it to be comforting, but it came out annoyed.

"She needs help." Purple jumped in as he looked over at her. "We have bandages and disinfectant close by."

"No." Blue's voice rang out.

"Leo! She's hurt. This is a sewer. We have to prevent infection as soon as possible."

"Then bring the supplies here."

"I can't! I don't know everything that I'll need. After I clean it, she may need stitches, she may need butterfly bandages, staples…I don't know. I can't bring everything. We need to bring her to the supplies." Purple was not going to back down. T'mana realized that this creature was defending her against its leader and she felt a surge of gratitude.

"Fine!" Blue yelled, clearly not pleased but also not willing to listen to any more reasons. "But she has to be blindfolded."

"No!" It took a moment, but T'mana realized that she had voiced that opinion herself with a desperate plea. Both were looking at her now. Blue looked ready to throw up his hands and call it a night while Purple just looked confused. "I'll…just…go up." She pointed up stupidly. "To a doctor." She tried to explain. The thought of being blindfolded and led by strange creatures to an unknown destination was too much for her to bear. And every time she closed her eyes, she saw the man die.

"No." Purple said gently. "It's okay. I can treat you here and you won't be charged anything. I would feel better knowing you weren't wandering the streets with a bullet wound on your temple."

"Really." She insisted. "I don't want to be any trouble. You've saved my life and I appreciate that. I don't want to be-" Blue sighed deeply, cutting her off.

"No trouble." He said, defeated. "Donnie, take her. I'll follow."

A few minutes later T'mana found herself in what she heard them refer to as 'the lair'. It was a home. It even had a rug. She realized that these creatures had made a life for themselves down here and that Blue, Leo she had heard him called, was trying to protect his home. She certainly didn't blame him. But he couldn't have been less worried. T'mana knew how to mind her own business. Sometimes too well. She was so wrapped up in herself sometimes, she had to actually remind herself to ask other people questions about themselves. Like ask a co-worker how their weekend was or ask her mother how the doctor appointment went.

The one called Donnie, led her to a closed off area. It had a sort of sheet hanging down as a divider and when she had breezed through it, she realized that it was a sort of home-made emergency room and laboratory. It even had a bed. Which she was now sitting down on as she would as if in a real hospital. Donnie was on a roller stool and wheeling back and forth to gather supplies on a rolling tray that wheeled along with him. He turned back to her and handed her a hair tie.

"Try to pull it back and up as best you can." He said. But he stopped her. He only wanted part of it up. That way, nothing from the bottom pulled up and over the wound. She tried again and was successful. He now had a fairly clear view of the wound. She watched him and saw that he carefully dabbed at her wound trying to be as gentle as possible. It still hurt a great deal now that she was aware of it.

"So what's your name?" He asked conversationally. He had a very good bedside manner. Not like Leo, the blue one. He was very blunt and rigid from what she could tell. Even in the way he stood.

"You can call me, Tim. Everyone does." She said. It was automatic. Every time her name was asked, this was her response. Donnie kept cleaning the wound.

"Tim? That short for something?" She sighed. Every time someone asked that question.

"T'mana."

"Wow. That's really pretty." He enthused. She could tell he meant it, though. "Does it mean something?"

"Yeah. It means 'walk'."

"Wok? Like the kitchen utensil?" She laughed. She couldn't help herself. She had never heard that response before. And with the tension of the evening she had a very giddy response. Kind of like laughing at a funeral.

"No." She said, still chuckling. "Like walking. Like I walk to the store. " She sighed, but pleasantly instead of with exasperation. "My mom wanted me to walk and not run through life. Sort of like stop and smell the roses."

"Oh." He said thoughtfully, clearly thinking about her explanation. "I like that." He caught her eye. "But I guess you have to explain that to everyone who asks you, huh?"

"Yep. Ouch!"

"Sorry. I think I got some hair on that last pull. Okay, this is pretty clean now, but you're going to need stitches. Otherwise, it won't heal quickly and it'll get infected."

"Stitches?" Cleaning was one thing, but stitches were another. "I don't know…"

"I've done it loads of times. Even on myself once, see?" He pointed to his knee and she looked down closely at it. It did look really good. But…she also didn't know how big the wound was to start with. He noticed her hesitation. "Look around. All these books, I've read them all. And I've had my brothers for guinea pigs. I learn and then I can also apply it."

She did as he said and looked around. There were tons of medical books. She noted a few mechanical ones, too. She also saw a few stuffed animals on his desktop that seemed to have been operated on. She looked at him. He saw where her gaze came from and had the decency to look sheepish.

"Everyone has to start somewhere." He explained. "Mr. Bananas and Foximus had life threatening wounds and I rescued them." She raised an eyebrow. "Some dog tore them up and I sewed them back. They were too cute to throw away."

"Foximus?" She asked.

"I went through a Latin phase. You know, like all the kids do." She laughed again.

"Latin phase?" He lived in a sewer! How on earth did he learn Latin?

"Yeah…a lot of the medical and biology texts have Latin names. When I was younger though, I couldn't quite get it. So I figured 'fox' in Latin was Foximus. And I dare you to prove me wrong."

"Wouldn't dream of it." She put up her hands in mock defense and he smiled.

"So?" He lifted a needle questioningly. "What do you think?" She looked away, wishing for a private moment. Instead, she would have to suffice with no eye contact.

She caught her own eyes in a mirror that was behind Donnie. And for the first time since the morning, she saw herself. Her blouse and blazer were torn and smudged with dirt. Her hair was matted and nettled into a half bun. Her face was covered with dirt and small scratches from the brick walls she almost collided with. But the worst part was the dried cascade of blood that covered her ear and spilled onto her peachfuzz blazer and white blouse. She was like some other person. Her copper skinned neck had been wiped clean by Donnie as he checked to make sure there were no other injuries. The clean patch seemed to glow unnaturally amidst the chaos covering every other inch of her. She raised a hand to her ear as if that would make it more real, but was alarmed to see there was a spiderline crack of blood on the back of her hand where her skin split. The fall down the sewer the first time.

Donnie watched her think it over and saw her face change from contemplation to shock and then to quiet horror. He found her eyes and followed their gaze to her reflection.

"Once this is stitched up, it should only take a couple weeks to heal. And with your hair, no one will even see the stitches. One good shower will clean you right up and you'll be good as new." He encouraged. She looked over at him as if she forgot he was there. And she had, for a moment.

"Okay." She whispered. He raised his eyebrows.

"Okay?" He asked again, wanting it confirmed. She nodded her head.

"Stitch me up." He began to heat the needle to disinfect it.

"Okay," He agreed. "I'll need to shave a bit here." He pointed to her temple. "I don't want to get any hair caught when I sew up the wound. Okay?"

"Um…okay." That made sense. She had seen that before. Pre-surgery prep included shaving. She also knew that the longer hair on top would cover it once it was let down, so she could handle it.

Donnie was very gentle when he stitched her up. Taking care to explain every movement he made to keep her at ease. Once he finished her bullet wound, he moved on to her hand and then the light abrasions on her face. He was just finishing up when the Orange clad turtle popped its head in.

"Heya, Don." He said, taking a quick peek at T'mana.

"Hi, Mikey." Mikey seemed to sense that it was okay for him to enter and he stepped fully into the room to reveal his hands full of cloth. "This is my brother, Mikey." Donnie said. Mikey grinned at her in welcome.

"Thought you might wanna change." Mike motioned to her shirt. "The blood and all." As he spoke, he unrolled a long T-shirt that read 'There's no place like 1' The shirt was very large so she assumed it belonged to one of the turtles in order to fit around their shell. Judging by the embarrassed and slightly irritated look on Donnie's face, T'mana assumed it belonged to him.

"Someone a techie?" T'mana asked. Donnie's face immediately went from humiliation to pleasant surprise.

"You know what the shirt means?" He asked almost triumphantly as he shot Mikey a look that said 'ha!'

"Yeah…it's an IP address right? Like your computer web location or something? I'm not too technical, but I've seen the format."

"Yeah. It is an IP address. Anyway, April, a friend of ours, got it for me. I'm kinda the computer guy."

"And the doctor guy." She motioned to her stitches.

"Yeah, that too." T'mana stepped down from the edge of the bed she was sitting on and reached for the T-shirt from Mikey.

"Thanks, Michael." She said. Mikey chuckled and Donnie smiled trying not to laugh.

"What?" She asked. She looked down at herself to see what was so funny.

"Mikey." Donnie explained. "He doesn't go by Michael."

"Oh. Sorry! Mikey seems like something your family uses…" They laughed again.

"His actual full name is Michelangelo. Like the painter. So only our Father called him that. Or when he's in trouble. Everyone else calls him Mikey." Donnie explained again.

"Sorry." She knew how it could bug people when you used the wrong name. "Mikey then. And what about you?" She looked at Donnie.

"Donatello, but you can call me Don or Donnie."

"Donatello." She repeated to herself. She was seeing a pattern develop. She pointed to the curtain indicating what was beyond it. "Let me guess, Leonardo?" Don nodded. "And...Raf…" She struggled for the other name.

"Raphael." Mikey supplied.

"Raphael!" She whisper shouted. It had been on the tip of her tongue.

"What?" A face peaked through the curtain. A green face with a red mask. His face was twisted in a grimace of annoyance.

"Hey, Raph. This is T'mana." Donnie introduced. Raph stepped in and looked her up and down.

"Yeah. I remember. What was the name?" He asked. He sounded irritated that her name was not normal.

"You can just call me Tim." She offered. Raph wrinkled his nose.

"Tim? Whatever works for you." Raph turned to Don. "Just dropped the package off. He's in custody. He won't be able to walk outta this one." T'mana listened to his words and it took a moment to understand what he had said.

"He's caught? In custody?" Raph turned to her again.

"That's what I said. I left the gun there so they'll be able to nail your guy."

"Did you see a purse?" Her question caught everyone off guard.

"What? A purse?…No. I wasn't lookin' for no purse."

"It would have really stood out. It was…like a lime green color about this big." She held her hands wide enough to indicate the size of a brief case. Raph looked at her hands as if it were the purse itself.

"No…nothin' like that. There wasn't anythin' on the ground except the dead guy." She let her hands slowly drop to her sides. In her mind, that meant one of two things. One: some random person stole her purse when they found it or Two: the gunman's coworker or boss found it and now had her information. Her wallet. Her address. She visibly paled and looked around at the grim faces around her. They all came to the same conclusion she had.

"I'll be right back." Donnie said. Leaving her with Raph and Mikey.

Leo was sitting rigidly on the couch and seemed to be having some internal conflict.

"Leo," Donnie called and Leo turned to look at Don.

"I heard." Leo said. He sighed. "She can't go back home." Donnie nodded his agreement. "Ask her if she has somewhere else she can stay tonight. A friend or relative's or something."

"Okay. What if she has nowhere to go?"

"Nowhere to go? Pretty girls like that always have friends, Donnie. She'll have somewhere she can go."

"What if she doesn't?" Donnie pressed. Leo huffed in annoyance.

"Fine. If she doesn't, which she will, she can stay the night. But only the night. We're not a hotel."

"I'll go ask." Donnie was not shocked at his brother's coldness. They had tried trusting humans before, but always with disastrous consequences. April and Casey were really the only successful human friends they had. They had learned their lesson. Don knew that Leo didn't like being unfeeling, but also knew that Leo held the fate of the clan on his shoulders. He never questioned his brother's judgment, but would ask him to explain it if he didn't agree and Leo always had a good defense for his reasoning. Don walked in and saw T'mana conversing with his brothers. Raph was leaning on the desk and Mikey was sitting on the bed, swinging his legs talking animatedly about a purse-snatcher he took out the other night.

"So you guys do this a lot? Stop…um…the bad guys?" She asked. Raph shrugged lazily.

"Gives us somethin' to do." When Don stepped in, T'mana's attention went directly to his face and she was clearly waiting for a response. He cleared his throat.

"I think that you shouldn't go home tonight. And Leo agrees." He added quickly. "Someone has your purse and probably saw the man, so it would be safer for you not to go home." He waited a moment. "Do you have friends nearby? Or family?" T'mana shook her head.

"I just moved here last week."

"That's lucky." Raph said. "So your stuff has your old address on it." T'mana looked sheepish.

"No…I...well, I already updated that. I did it yesterday."

"You got it changed already? You didn't have anything more important to do than stand in line at the DMV?"

"I…don't like when things aren't …in order." She started to shift uncomfortably. This was getting a little personal for her. She was very regimented. Her time compunction was but one of her oddities. She had to have everything match when it was supposed to. She had done her address changes on everything the same day: credit cards, bank statements, bills, insurance, all of it. In fact, she did most of it online from her laptop as she waited at the DMV.

"It doesn't matter." Donnie stated firmly, glaring at Raph. He turned back to T'mana. "Do you have anywhere you can go?" She thought a moment.

"My mom." Her eyes bugged. "Omigsoh! My mom! She's going to be frantic. I was supposed to Skype with her tonight. She's probably freaking out because I'm not answering my phone."

"Where is your mom?" Donnie asked, trying to keep on task a little bit.

"Jersey. Only a few hours from here." Don looked at the clock and it showed that it was now after midnight. It had taken a few hours to clean and stitch the wound. Jersey was not going to happen tonight. "I can take a…well…maybe a…" She had been about to say bus and then cab, but she realized both required money and she had none. She couldn't walk to Jersey. The irony of her name was not lost on her.

"Do you have a car?" Don asked.

"No…but I can call a taxi. I can have my Mom pay when I get there." She was relieved she thought of that.

"No. It's very late. You'll stay here the night and tomorrow we'll figure out how to get you to your mother's safely." Donnie said as Leo walked in.

"No…really. I'll find a way-"

"Don't be ridiculous." Leo stated. There wasn't animosity, but certainly an edge that indicated she should not question his decision. "Jersey is too far to go at this time of night. It's late and we're all tired from the events of the day. Let's just call it a night."

"You can use my bed." Donnie offered to ease his brother's stiffness.

"No!" She protested. "No. The couch will be fine." She sensed it before she heard it…the anger from Leo and from Raph. Raph held his tongue, though. Leo didn't.

"Don't want to sleep where we've been?" He asked through gritted teeth. She was horrified at the accusation. And she noticed Raph shoot his brother a quizzical look. Even to her, it seemed something more likely that he would say instead of Leonardo. But she kept calm. She was good at that most of the time.

"Are you saying that you've never slept or sat on the couch?" She let her comment sit in the air for a moment before continuing. "Look, you guys have saved my life, twice," She indicated Raph and Leo. "Three times." She corrected, pointing at Donnie. "Infection could have killed me. And now you're letting me stay in your home. The last thing I want to do is inconvenience you anymore by taking your bed. And I prefer couches anyway when it isn't my bed. So really, the couch is perfect."

Leo watched her for a moment, his face inscrutable.

"Don," He said finally. "Go get some blankets and a pillow for our guest, please." Don scooted out to do as requested. "You'll want to sleep as soon as you can. We're early risers." Then Leo turned on his heel and left. To her, the message was clear. 'We are not changing our schedule for you.' And that was fine by T'mana. She knew she wouldn't sleep tonight anyway. After everything that happened, she knew she would be reliving every moment and it would keep her awake. Also, she slept terrible when it wasn't her bed. Another oddity of hers. She knew she was borderline OCD with her habits. She had to have things a certain way or it would bother her and drive her to distraction. Hotels were not an option for her. In fact, her place right now was taking some getting used to and it was her bed!

"Leonardo!" She suddenly called out. She clapped her hand on her mouth. She hadn't meant to shout, but it had certainly got his attention. He whirled around, a fierce look on his face. Not angry, but predatory somehow. She recoiled instinctively. "My mom." She began, her voice soft to ease her discourtesy. "I need to call her. She's probably scared to death and working herself into a panic."

Leo looked heavenward as if to ask why he had been saddled with this troublesome female. Then he turned and walked away. She let her jaw drop ever so slightly in shock. It was really rude and she didn't think that she was asking anything outrageous. She just needed to get to a phone to calm her mother down. She was beginning to imagine how tomorrow would be when she walked into her mother's home. The insanely long and emphatic lecture she would receive. But Leonardo came back in and stopped right in front of her, holding something out in his hand. She looked down at it and she swore he was holding a small turtle.

She really thought she was losing her mind. Had she fallen asleep? Was this some sort of cryptic message her unconscious was trying to tell her? What the heck did it mean when a giant mutant turtle held a tiny natural turtle in its palm? Progression…or maybe evolution-

"You'll want to take the phone if you want to make a call." Leo interrupted her thoughts abruptly. He sounded very irritated. Phone? She reached out and took the object delicately and realized that it was a small cell phone with a shell pattern on in. But it was kind of round so she didn't think this was the kind of phone you could purchase in a store. Did Don make this? She remembered all the medical books, but also all the mechanical ones and wondered at his genius and then pitied the fact that it was so hidden from the world.

She held it in her hand and looked at it then turned it over and looked at it again. Everyone was watching her and she felt very idiotic. The phone was childproof. She didn't even see a seam to pull at, so how the heck did it open? Leonardo rolled his eyes, took the phone back in one swift movement and flipped it open so fluidly T'mana didn't see how it was done and then he thrust it back at her. She took it gingerly and inspected it again seeing, with relief, that it now looked like a normal phone with a typical keypad. She dialed her mother's number and held it to her ear. Abruptly, she left the group of turtles and stepped back behind the sheet for privacy. The phone didn't pick up. Her mother was either asleep or screening her calls. T'mana guessed she wouldn't be sleeping. Voicemail.

"Mom, if you're there-"

"T'mana? Is that you?"

"Yes-"

"Oh, you've had me so worried! Are you okay? Why didn't you show up for Skype, did you forget? Why didn't you call? Why haven't you been answering your cell? I've been worried sick! I thought you might be dead in a ditch somewhere! Are you okay, _Cante_?" She waited while her mother continued a moment more, and then jumped in when her mother took a breath.

"I'm fine. I had a little accident, but I'm fine."

"Accident? What kind of accident?"

"I fell down a sewer." She figured the truth would be the best answer, but she would leave out some details for her mother's sanity.

"Down a…my goodness! Don't they put signs around open manholes? Isn't that a law? How can they just-"

"Mom!" T'mana interrupted. "There were signs. I missed them and fell down the manhole. It's just an accident."

"Are you okay?" Her mother asked quietly.

"Yes. Just needed a few stitches. I'm calling from an emergency room now." Technically she was. She didn't need to tell her mom that the emergency room was not in a hospital but a home in the sewer.

"That must be why the number came up funny on my caller ID. Are you using the hospital phone?"

"Yes." She lied. She hated to lie, but there was no way around that one. "It must be."

"How many stitches?"

"Nine I think."

"My poor little girl. I'm so glad you called. I was so worried. I hate you being alone in the big dark city with the _Wasitchu_."

"Mom!" T'mana said sharply. "Enough of that. People are people. White or red. Besides, you married a white guy. Remember? Dad?"

Her mother had been raised on a Lakota Sioux reservation in South Dakota near the Black Hills, the most sacred area to the Sioux. So her mother had been brought up with a strong spiritual background. A legacy that she had turned her back on when she was twenty for a dashing young Irish man who was passing through on his way to the East Coast. T'mana's father must have been very debonair and charming because only after a week of knowing each other, her mother ran off with him and ended up settling down in New Jersey. The family had essentially disowned her after that. But she didn't care; she was in love. Months later, T'mana was on the way and her Irish father drowned while trying to save someone from a sinking car that had run off the road into the Hudson. Her mother felt a strong pull back to the roots of her people after her husband died, but still named her daughter T'mana because it was the name they had both agreed on before he died. T'mana's mother knew she could not return to the reservation and did not attempt to do so, but made sure to raise T'mana with Sioux tradition and spirituality. T'mana felt that her mind was American, but her soul and spirit were Sioux. After all, T'mana was almost pure Sioux except for her father's blood. Her ancestors could be traced back hundreds of years and while it crossed many Sioux and Lakota tribes, it did not have any _Wasitchu_ blood until T'mana.

"Yes." Her mother sighed fondly. "Your father was a good man. The Turtle spirit walked with him."

"What?" T'mana blurted; startled by the word 'turtle'.

"That was your father's Spirit Guide. Of course I knew that before he tried the Vision Quest. He had all the traits of Brother Turtle."

"Traits?" T'mana asked, curious but also very self conscious. She was aware that four turtle creatures were listening to her end of the conversation.

"Yes. T'mana do you remember nothing of your Spirit Guides?"

"I kind of forgot some. Remind me."

"Brother Turtle is slow and sturdy. He does not rush into a task. Turtles live long so he symbolizes longevity and persistence. Brother Turtle's shell also indicates protection of himself and others. Your father was all those things, T'mana. I wish you could have known him." They both fell silent. T'mana both mourned her unknown father and wondered at the coincidence of the conversation. T'mana was a practical woman of the modern age, but she also knew there were things beyond the Known and things that could not be explained. What were the odds that four giant turtles would save her and the same night her mother would speak of the Turtle spirit of protection? Was it a sign? What did it mean?

"I remember now." T'mana said.

"No you don't." Her mother chuckled. "But I love you anyway." The words caught her off guard and her throat closed up and her eyes brimmed with emotion.

"I love you too, Mom." And she meant it. For so long she had pushed her mother away trying to be her own woman, but right now she needed her mom and wished that she could feel her mother's arms around her as her mother whispered in her ear that everything would be all right. "Can I come see you tomorrow?" It worked in perfectly. Her mother wouldn't question it.

"Of course! You don't need to ask, T'mana. You can always come to see me." T'mana felt the tears slowly run down her face in sheer gratitude to her mother.

"Tomorrow then. _Toksha akhe_."

"_Toksha akhe_." Her mother repeated, and T'mana could hear the pride and approval in her mother's voice for the Lakota words. That roughly translated to 'see you later' because the Lakota never said goodbye so there was no word in their language for it. In this world or the next, they would see you again.

T'mana clicked the 'end' button and went back around the curtain to see them all standing looking everywhere but at her. Clearly they had heard every word she had spoken. But she was not embarrassed. She held out the phone to Leonardo.

"Thank you." She intoned huskily. Her voice was thick with emotion from her call. He took the cell phone from her and slid it shut without a word. But she felt that his movements held less hostility than they had a few moments ago. He nodded and then turned around and walked to a wooden stairwell as if the entire phone issue hadn't taken place at all.

Mikey bubbled a good night to her and Raph grumbled and waved a little as he walked out. Donnie was at the couch making it into a bed as much as he could. He was even tucking in the blanket under the cushions. When he finished, he surveyed his work and then turned to see her standing there.

"Good night." He said hopefully.

"Thank you very much." She returned in earnest. "You've been very kind to me. Thank you." People weren't often nice to her, so she wanted to let him know that she appreciated it. While T'mana was not a 'people' person, she had no qualms expressing herself most of the time. She did get flustered when she had to explain some of her quirks though. Because she knew there was no real logic or necessity she found her eccentricities embarrassing. There were only two people in the world who knew about her desperate need to have all the cans in her cupboard lined and facing frontwards and by category. Her mother and her boyfriend. Both currently resided in Jersey. Her boyfriend, Michael Gaius, wasn't coming out for another two weeks. His transfer was later than hers.

"You're welcome." Donnie said shyly. "If you get cold, there's an extra blanket right here." He smiled as he pointed her in the direction of the bathroom so she could change into the shirt and sweat pants Mikey had brought for her. When she was done, she tucked herself in. Donnie noticed and then turned out the light.

She lay there on the couch with the tucked in blankets and stared up at the ceiling that was the underbelly of the city. It was suffocatingly dark. The dark almost seemed a physical presence that wrapped around her eyes like a thick cloth of velvet. It gave the impression of having her eyes closed while they were, in fact, open. This meant she saw the events of this evening with startling clarity and couldn't shake the images.

She turned on her side and closed her eyes tight and pushed her face into the pillow Don had brought to her. She hoped it would block out the images, but she would see little bursts still. A flash of the brick wall after the gun had fired. The man on the ground with no face. She decided to count. Her mother taught her to count up to five hundred in Lakota, the Sioux language, which had helped T'mana in the past to focus on the numbers and not the worries of her day. When she counted in English, her mind wandered and it defeated the purpose. She tried to use the trick now and was grateful that her mother had taught her. She wasn't trying to sleep so much as get her mind to stop thinking about anything except the Lakota numbers.

She had almost counted up to five hundred for the second time when she did close her eyes and slip into unconsciousness.

Cante - means 'heart', a pet name

Wasichu - a 'derogatory' term for white people, non-native americans


	2. Chapter 2

Once the lights turned out and a few minutes passed, Leo had stepped out of his room silently and began to stand vigil. He perched on a stool in the corner and stared into the inky blackness of the room until familiar forms took shape. The edge of the couch, the lampshade.

He didn't know what to think of the woman. There were moments when he believed she was sincere, but then he would remember others he had deemed sincere and how they had proven him wrong, sometimes violently. In the sewer, she had been shocked. Of that he was certain, but he expected that. The staring and blinking as humans tried to test their eyesight to be sure they were really seeing what they thought they were seeing. Then she had been polite and thanked them. More than that, actually. She had acknowledged Raphael and himself separately from the others. Singling them out to show she recognized who had helped her rather than thank the entire group. That meant she recognized individuals over a crowd. A good thing, in Leo's mind. It seemed to insinuate that action rather than association helped forge her opinions.

She seemed to warm to Donnie right away, mirroring his kindness to her. He had also heard the woman thank Donnie before she went to bed. She seemed forthright to a point. But that could be dangerous. Would she betray them? When she went back to the surface, would she tell the world matter-of-factly that there were giant turtles in the sewer? His concern was her honesty. But then he also remembered the conversation with her mother. How she had skirted around certain details without lying directly. The deception both worried and encouraged him. Encouraged him because she could continue to skip the details in the future and allow them to not be discovered, but worried because perhaps deception came easily to her. If she could hide the truth from her own mother, what else was she hiding? Was she more involved with the gunman and dead man than she admitted? What if she wasn't some innocent bystander?

This was the very reason he stood watch now. His brothers seemed to like her well enough, but he could not afford to. With their father gone, he was now the head of the family. Responsible for their safety and survival. He had to make the tough decisions. This often led to fights among his brothers, but if it meant their safety, he would continue to do it. He didn't want the responsibility. He wanted the luxury of being able to make mistakes and trust people and give them the benefit of the doubt. And if it had been only his life in the balance, he would do all those things. But the thought of something happening to his brothers because of his carelessness terrified him. His greatest fear was that one of his brothers would die because of something he did or did not do.

When Master Splinter died, Leo pulled away from everyone. He watched his brothers grieve and lean on each other, but did not feel he could take part. He suffered in silence and would not let them know the pain and anguish he lived with every day. That is what it means to be a leader. To put those you lead ahead of your own needs. So he became stoic and formal. He rarely laughed; he was too busy looking around waiting for something to leap from the shadows. He didn't join conversations anymore. He listened and listened for what was beyond the words…waiting for the sound of footfalls or the click of a gun cocking. He had to be ready to spring into action at any second.

As he thought about the woman at length, she had been awake. He had heard her, after a time, drift to sleep. He could tell by her slow, deep breathing. But now, she twitched. A wrist here, a foot there. As if she was dreaming. He sat up tall, alert now and watching her with interest and expectation. It did not seem like a pleasant dream and she would soon wake from it.

T'mana gasped and sat bolt upright, heaving, but still having enough sense not to scream. Sound would only attract attention, but her instinct was to scream loud enough to shred her vocal cords and pop vessels in her neck. Her heart was beating frantically and as her eyes wildly looked around her, she could only see black. As the darkness lightened with her eyes adjusting, she could see enough to know she wasn't home. Then she stood abruptly, tripping silently and falling into a wall soundlessly. She used the wall to hold herself up and turn to face the room. She thrust her hand to the pocket with her work keys and pulled out the keychain flashlight. She clicked it on and held it up to see a small piece of the room as the light revealed it.

Next to her was a bookshelf and there was a frame sitting on it. She took the frame in her free hand and held the flashlight close to examine it. Four turtles were in the picture. Giant human turtles. In a rush, everything came back to her. After she ran, the turtles had brought her here to clean her wound and rest for the night. Looking closer at the picture, she had to smile a little. It betrayed their character. It seemed to be the red banded turtle's birthday because he had on one of those cone birthday hats, but he did not look pleased. He was looking up as if in the middle of rolling his eyes and his mouth was twisted down in a grimace of irritation and embarrassment.

He was being bear-hugged by the orange clad turtle. Mikey, she remembered. Mikey was grinning a huge, innocent and honest grin with big white teeth as he pressed his face against the red turtle's cheek in excessive brotherly affection. The purple masked turtle was Donnie. She remembered him very well and he had a simple smile on his face, but noticed that he was giving the red one bunny ears on the sly. Raphael. The red one was Raphael. In the back, not touching his brothers was the blue turtle. He had a big smile on his face that was uncharacteristic of him now. He almost seemed to be in the background rather than a part of the picture. For some reason, it made T'mana sad. But from what she knew of Leonardo, which was not very much, he seemed a distant sort of person and it was not surprising to her that he would not be part of the festivities. Almost like he would have felt that to be a frivolous waste of time. And his eyes didn't seem to be looking at the camera. Like he had seen something or was checking something else out. Roving eyes.

Suddenly, the light turned on and T'mana shut her eyes in surprise to protect them. With her eyes closed, she still saw flashes of white from the shock of light.

"Couldn't sleep?" Came the soft, stern words. Instinctively, she set the picture frame down as if she had been caught doing something wrong. Invading their privacy even though the photo had been on display. She opened her eyes slowly, letting her eyes adjust to the new brightness.

"No." She admitted. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"I wasn't sleeping." He replied simply. She immediately knew what he meant. He had been standing guard, waiting for her to do something. She flushed and felt the need to explain her behavior since it was clear he had seen her flailing about the room.

"I woke up and didn't know where I was." She began. "I remember now." She indicated the picture. "I wasn't sure it was real. But it was. It really happened." Leo bristled at her disappointed tone. Assuming she was referring to meeting him and his brothers since she had indicated the picture.

"Sorry." He offered bitterly. She ignored his tone.

"Me, too." She agreed softly, looking at the picture. She took a sharp breath and looked into the distance. "I just…watched him shoot that man…I did nothing. I just let it happen…"She was breathing shallowly now, fighting back the tears. "Maybe if I had screamed or something…he could've gotten away." Tears were running down her face now and Leo was alarmed. He hadn't seen this coming. Crying females made him nervous. He knew it could be a manipulative ploy. His instinct was still to comfort, but he was wary.

"Or you would be dead." He jumped in. "That guy was a professional. He would have turned the gun on you and then taken down the man. It wouldn't have mattered. Your silence saved your life."

"Maybe." She offered, clearly not agreeing at all. He sighed and felt himself soften towards her…just a little. He stood from the stool and slowly made his way nearer to her as he spoke.

"Maybe the guy wasn't on the up and up. You know? I mean maybe he worked for the gunman and was doing some dirty dealing behind his back. Maybe the gunman was cleaning up the trash. This guy could have been stealing from the gunman or betraying him somehow."

"Or maybe," T'mana cut in soberly. "He was like me. Just…in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe he saw something he wasn't supposed to." And there it was. She felt guilty for the man dying, but she was also terrified that she had witnessed her own fate. Leo understood her a little better now.

"Maybe." Leo allowed. "But you didn't kill the man. _He_ did. The gunman pulled the trigger not you. The guilt is his not yours. You can't be responsible for what someone else did. And I know you think you stood there a while, but it wasn't as long as you think. It never is. I bet it was seconds only. Not even fifteen. Ten seconds tops. That's not enough time to change anything in that situation. You shouldn't have to carry that."

She was staring at him, amazed that he was actually trying to comfort her. And it was working! She wouldn't really have believed it coming from someone like Don…it's in his nature to be kind. She could tell that right away. But Leonardo had no motive to be kind to her, so she trusted what he told her.

"Besides," He said. "The guy might not have been killed. People survive gunshots. Look at you." Leo knew that the man was dead, but he didn't know that T'mana knew for a fact. He wasn't aware of his brothers telling her. He had left his eavesdropping position to check the cameras outside the lair to ensure no one else was wandering around out there. So he thought he'd throw that out there to lift her spirits a bit, but she was shaking her head.

"The gunman shot him in the face." She said flatly. "I saw the back of his head spatter against the brick wall." Her voice caught, but she continued. "The gun was so close, that his hair caught fire from the combustion. It blew out from the breeze as his body fell to the ground. I can still smell it. Gun powder and burnt hair." She looked at him. "You don't come back from that."

He suddenly felt guilty. What a terrible thing to witness. He hadn't really thought about what she had been through. Selfishly he had believed the biggest ordeal was her meeting him and his brothers. Clearly, this was not the case. He didn't know what to say or how to smooth things over so he remained silent and so did she. Until her stomach spoke. She clutched her belly and flushed a deep red.

"Hungry?" He asked. He hadn't meant to be mocking, but it came out that way. She blushed even more.

"No!" She denied. "That would be inappropriate." She explained. Leo raised an eye ridge.

"No, that would be biology. You ran quite a distance on fear and adrenaline and all the stress that came with it and the mental exhaustion. Your body needs to recover from that. It needs fuel and that's not inappropriate that's just nature. C'mon," He waved her to follow him. "I can't cook but I know how to use the microwave. I'm the King of Reheat."

She followed him and found herself smiling a little.

"What's on the menu, m'lord?" She joked. Leo let his lips rise ever so slightly that it might be considered a smile…or else the ghost of what used to be his smile.

"Chicken noodle?" He asked, holding out a bowl of soup that had a plastic cover on it. He pulled off the lid and showed it to her.

"I just don't think I'm really hungry." She insisted. He placed the bowl in the microwave.

"I think you'll change your mind once you smell it." He said. Boy was he right. The scent of the chicken, doughy noodles and brothy spices was so enticing that she burned her tongue twice trying to eat it too quickly. "Good, huh?" Leo asked. "I'll let Mikey know he has another fan."

T'mana took a breath and stopped slurping long enough to ask a question.

"Mmey mde dis?" Her mouth, however, was still full. But Leo could speak Stuffed Mouth.

"Yeah, he's the resident cook. Gaming and cooking." Leo shook his head. "What a combination."

"Dis rrry gddd." Leo nodded, understanding she meant to say 'this is really good.' He watched her with folded arms. Satisfied that he was right about at least one thing this evening. She finished the bowl and wiped at her mouth.

"Thanks." She said. "I guess I really needed that. It just…seemed wrong. Like I shouldn't do something so 'alive' when that man…" She fell silent, looking at the empty bowl. Clearly feeling guilty again.

"Life goes on. And the next few weeks, months maybe, will be very hard. Trust me, I know. But it will get better."

"I hope so. I can't imagine living how I feel right now."

"It gets better." He repeated. "You find things that mean something to you. Like your mother. Family is important." He fell silent, feeling like he had said far too much and hoping it wouldn't come back to haunt him later. A few tears and she had him wrapped around her finger. He stood. "You should try to get some rest." He grabbed the empty bowl and put it in the sink. "We'll get you to Jersey tomorrow." And with that, he swept out of the room, leaving T'mana staring after him wondering what she had done to upset him.

She slept on and off the rest of the night and so was already awake when she heard feet descending a wooden set of stairs. The stairs creaked, but once they hit the floor, silence fell again. A moment later she heard gentle clattering in the kitchen. She sat up, rubbed her eyes and stretched. She went to the bathroom and brushed her hair with her hands and washed as best she could with the sink and paper towels. She changed back into her own clothes. She had gotten up in the middle of the night and washed it as best she could and set it to dry. They were still damp, but dry enough to wear. She folded the clothes she slept in and left them in a neat pile on the floor.

She went to the couch and folded the blankets, cleaning up as best she could. Then she made her way to the kitchen and saw the orange one, Mikey, there. He turned his head to her and smiled when he saw her.

"Mornin', dudette." He greeted.

"Good morning." T'mana returned.

"Sleep well?"

"No, but I didn't expect to. Can I help you with anything?" Mikey was a little surprised by her candor, but appreciated it.

"Uh…you want toast duty?" He pointed to a loaf of bread sitting next to the toaster.

"Certainly." She accepted. "Preferences? Light, dark?"

"Hmmm…Raph likes his burnt, like charcoal burnt. The rest of us like ours in the middle." T'mana nodded and set to work. Mikey was making scrambled eggs and bacon.

"Thanks for letting me help." T'mana said.

"Sure. When you're done with that, you can grab the plates out of the cabinet. They're in the one just above your head." T'mana looked up and nodded again. She had ten pieces of toast and figured that should be enough for now. She grabbed a stack full of plates and began to set them around the table, one at each chair. She placed four and kept one for herself, but didn't place it on the table. The toast was on a plate in the middle of the table now. Mikey went to the kitchen door.

"Come and get it!" He banged his spatula on the counter as if ringing a bell. T'mana was shocked thinking it was a cruel way to wake up, but seconds later all three turtles came in completely wide awake and ready to eat.

"I'm starvin'!" Raph growled as he grabbed up his plate. "Load it up, bro." Mikey gave Raph two generous scoops of eggs and three slices of bacon. Leo went next, then Don. Mikey waved T'mana over, noticing that she was hanging back, and he filled her plate as well. She stepped aside and remained quiet. Mikey filled his own plate and took his place at the table. She leaned against the sink silently and began to eat her food with her fingers. She didn't have silverware. Don looked up suddenly and saw her.

"I'm sorry, T'mana!" Don sputtered. He immediately stood and waved her to his seat.

"No, no. I'm fine. Thank you. Please sit down and enjoy your breakfast."

"It's all right." Don insisted.

"I'm really fine. I need to stretch anyway." She held out her hand almost as if to fend him off. Don seemed reluctant, but he did take his seat again. He saw his brothers with their silverware. "Mikey, didn't you even give her a fork?"

"Oops!" Mikey looked at her apologetically. Raph smacked Mikey on the back of his head for good measure. "They're in the drawer right behind you, Tim." Mikey said. She stepped aside, grabbed a fork, held it up to show she now had one and proceeded to eat. She did not like having the attention on her. She tried to eat as demurely as possible now that she was outfitted with a fork.

"I've arranged a ride for you." Leo said, all business.

"A ride?" T'mana asked, almost choking on her bacon.

"Yes." He said, ignoring her hoarse breathing. "She can drive you out to New Jersey. You can't go home just yet." She stared at him a moment. He was commanding her right now and believed without a doubt that she would listen. Don seemed to read her stunned face.

"It isn't safe." He explained. "Whoever has your purse might be waiting for you. It's best just to go to your mother's until things quiet down." She set her plate down on the counter. She was no longer hungry. She saw that the others were done eating as well, their plates empty.

"Anyone want more?" She asked hollowly.

"Nah, we're good." Raph said and stood. He left the room. The rest symbolically pushed their plates away to signify they were finished. Without thinking, she gathered the plates up and went to the sink to wash them. She didn't see anything except the plates, water and suds in the sink. She didn't hear anything except the spray of water and the sound the plates made as they clanked against the sink. The warm water sluicing over her fingers and the smell of lemon soap calmed her nerves, but she was still anxious and the fear from the night before was returning in full force.

The turtles had watched her as she grabbed the plates. Don and Mikey had objected, but she acted as if she didn't hear them. Leo kept a close eye on her as Don walked over to her. She didn't acknowledge him. Don saw her hands were shaking and that she seemed to be on the verge of tears. He said her name, but she still didn't hear him. Finally, he touched her arm as delicately as he could.

At his touch, the room exploded back into her senses. She could hear the TVs in the other room, chairs scraping behind her and she saw a green hand pulling away from her arm.

"Are you okay?" Don asked again. She nodded, hearing his words for the first time. She kept washing the dishes. "April's real nice." Don tried to distract her with conversation. "She'll be the one taking you to New Jersey. We've been friends with her for ages. She'll make sure you get there okay." T'mana took a breath and nodded again. He looked at the dishes again. "You don't have to do the dishes. Let me get those."

"I've got it." She insisted, a little more forcefully than she intended. "It…helps. I'm fine. Really. Thank you." She wiped an itch on her nose with her forearm since her hands were wet. She took another breath and finished all the dishes. When she was done she turned slightly and found a towel being held out to her by Don. "Thanks." She said awkwardly. Don just nodded. She turned around and saw Leo was still sitting at the kitchen table watching her just as intently as he had the night before in the sewer tunnel. As if he was still trying to gauge her character. T'mana was embarrassed. She knew she must appear like a lunatic scrubbing dishes furiously with a threat hanging over her head.

He leaned back in the chair and folded his arms. T'mana instinctively knew he was about to give a speech that he required her to listen to.

"Here's what's going to happen." He began firmly. "April takes you to your mother's. You will stay there for a few days. My brothers and I will patrol your place; make sure no one is scoping it out. When we think it's safe, we'll let April know. April will call you and you can return. You are not to return before hand. You are not to speak of us to anyone even in a vague manner. When you leave, we will cease to exist for you. You will not see us again." He paused and stared her down. "Do you understand what I have just said to you?" She stood stunned for a long moment. She didn't understand what warranted such cold behavior towards her. But she understood that this could mean life or death to him and his family, so she chose her words very carefully.

"I understand. I'm grateful for your hospitality and kindness." Leo narrowed his eyes, unsure if she was being honest or sarcastic. "I wish there was something I could do to repay in kind, but I hope my silence will suffice. You have my word that I will never let anyone know about you in any way."

"I'm glad we understand each other." Leo agreed evenly. She heard noises in the other room.

"That'll be April." Mikey said with a large grin. He sprinted through the door and she heard a rather loud greeting from both parties. She stared at the open kitchen doorway, but could see nothing. She was very nervous about meeting this April person. She didn't want to fail to meet expectations or cause anyone alarm. Leo noted her unease and it pleased him. He wanted her nervous. If she was comfortable with them it meant she wasn't afraid and if she wasn't afraid she might not listen to them.

He knocked on the table to get her attention. She started and turned to look at him as if she were a deer in headlights. He grabbed a pen and notepad from a shelf behind him and slapped them on the table.

"Your address." He said. She stared at the items with trepidation. Don seemed to sense her hesitation.

"So we can patrol your place." He said. "We won't go in or anything. Just a perimeter run to see if there are any unusual characters or suspicious people hanging around."

"Yes." Leo agreed. "We know how to respect someone's privacy." She walked to the table slowly, feeling that this moment was somehow heavier than it should be. It was just her home address. Her new apartment. And the gunman could already be rifling through her things as she was thinking this right now. Yet her anonymity was rapidly disappearing. Suddenly, many people would know where to find her and she wasn't sure about who or what they were. She picked up the pen and seemed to steel herself. Then her hand gracefully glided across the paper. When she finished, she set the pen down and she comically imagined a gavel clacking with finality. She straightened.

"This is her?" T'mana turned to the new voice and saw a very beautiful red headed woman looking her up and down.

"Hey, April." Don greeted.

"Hi, Don." She smiled and then waved at Leo since that was his choice of greeting to her.

"Hello." T'mana said shyly.

"Hello. So the guys tell me you saw a hold up, huh?" T'mana nodded her head. "Right. You ready to go?"

"Um…yes. Thank you. I know New Jersey's a bit of a drive. Thank you for taking me." April quirked a brow in surprise.

"Don't thank me yet. Thank me when we get there." T'mana found this rather ominous and threatening and she now dreaded the trip to her mother's. Could her life get any more frightening? "So where in Jersey are we going, exactly?" T'mana said the name of the city her mother lived near. She had just made the decision to not give out her mother's address. She would find a way to get to her mother's from town. "All right. Let's go then."

"Let me just do…um…one more thing." T'mana blushed and used the bathroom one more time. When she came out all the turtles were waiting alongside April and she was truly mortified. She didn't like people focusing on her especially when she had been doing something rather private.

"Take care, Tim!" Mikey beamed. "Thanks for helpin' with breakfast." T'mana nodded.

"Don't go blabbin' 'bout us." Raph said. T'mana shook her head that she wouldn't. He seemed to size her up. "Good. Take it easy." Don approached her and had a small bundle in his hands.

"I know you don't have anything to pack, so here's a few things. The clothes you slept in and some travel size things for you." She took the bundle in awe.

"Thank you, Donatello." She said. She held out her hand. He smiled and shook her hand lightly.

"You're welcome." He said. "Be safe, okay?"

"You, too." April was now leading the way to the exit and they found Leo waiting. April made a sign that she would wait just outside the door. T'mana bit her lip and waited for the threat to be hammered home by Leo.

"We'll leave you word through April." He said. "Don't do anything foolish like trying to return before then." She was pleased he had mentioned this first, rather than ordering her silence. He was still trying to dominate her and this alarmed her, but the intent was to help her and she appreciated that.

"I'll wait." She acknowledged. He seemed to debate about saying something else, but just ended by saying 'good' and stepping aside to let her leave. She passed through the threshold amazed that he hadn't renewed the warning.

"So…bit of a crazy time for you?" April asked genially.

"It's been interesting." T'mana allowed.

"I've known the guys a long time." April said. "I really hope you understand how important it is that you keep quiet about them."

"I promised that I would." T'mana said. "I don't want to put them in danger. They saved my life. I'm in their debt." April didn't really seem satisfied with this answer. As if T'mana were just saying what she wanted to hear. "It was very kind of them to open their home to me and give me a place to be safe for the night. They easily could've dropped me somewhere else to fend for myself. They took the effort and so I'll take the effort to repay them the only way I can."

They came to a ladder and April gestured for T'mana to climb up. She hesitated. The bruise on the back of her thigh was very fresh and painful from her previous fall.

"Something wrong?" April asked with a frown. T'mana gripped the ladder and tugged on it fiercely, testing it. It didn't budge and it didn't creak or groan. She bit her lip and placed one foot on the rung, then bravely placed her other foot on and waited a moment. It held her weight. She breathed out and continued her way up. She made sure to look before she exited the sewer, but it was a back alley and no one was watching. She stood and then turned to kneel and help April up.

"Do you have a thing against ladders?" April asked as she climbed lithely out.

"The last one broke on me." T'mana said dully. "I landed on Leonardo." She paled. "I should have apologized for that." To her surprise, April laughed.

"I don't think you need to apologize. A pretty girl landing in Leo's lap is exactly what he needed." T'mana blushed and followed April as she led the way to her car. "He said you got shot. Did you really?"

"Not technically. It grazed me." T'mana said. "Who told you that?"

"Leo. He gave me the low down." April smiled. They reached April's Land Rover and she opened the door for T'mana to climb in. There was a pillow on the seat. T'mana looked curiously at April. "He told me you fell and that your backside might be sore. He didn't give me any more details than that. But my seats are kind of hard, so you'll want the pillow." T'mana didn't know what to think about this new knowledge. Had Leo told April so that she could make her comfortable or did he just tell April to inform her what a nuisance she was?

The drive was uneventful. April was good at small talk. She didn't give any more information on the turtles and T'mana didn't ask. She wanted to ask hundreds of questions, but she knew that would be rude. So T'mana let April direct the conversation.

"Okay, so we're in the city limits. Now where to?"

"Here is fine." T'mana pointed to a gas station. April looked over at her.

"Here? I can take you all the way in. It's not a problem."

"Thank you. I really appreciate your doing this for me. Here is fine. Really." April studied her for a moment.

"Okay." She threw her hands up theatrically and then pulled into the station. "I need to fill up anyway." T'mana started to exit the car, but April grabbed her shoulder. "Hey, wait a second." T'mana obediently waited. April pulled out a small drawstring pouch. She dropped several quarters into it and handed it to T'mana. "For the phone call at the payphone." She said. T'mana stared at the pouch a long moment. "Go ahead, take it. I know you need to call to get picked up from here. I get it. You don't know me and I don't know you so it's very awkward. At least give me the peace of mind that you can make a phone call." T'mana smiled gratefully.

"Thank you. I promise I'll keep my word. No one will ever know about them from me." April nodded.

"Take care." She waved as T'mana exited. She watched April gas up her car and waited for her to pull away. She made her way to the phone booth and stuck her fingers into the pouch to pull out the quarters. Her fingers brushed paper, so she pulled out a white piece of paper that had been folded. It said 'For Clothes'. T'mana frowned. She turned the note over and opened the folds to find fifty dollars in cash tucked inside. Immediately, T'mana searched for the Land Rover, but it was nowhere to be seen. Her eyes misted at the sincere gesture that hadn't expected a thank you in return. She said it aloud anyway, hoping April would somehow know.


	3. Chapter 3

Her mother was smothering her with affection and attention. It was driving T'mana crazy, but it did feel nice. After the horrible thing that had happened to her, that she had seen, she desperately needed the comfort her mother could give her. T'mana told the story and gave all the details up until the point the turtles became involved. In her version to her mother, she had managed to get away on her own and get to a hospital. T'mana said she was too scared to go back home and just took the bus all the way here which was why she needed to be picked up.

Her mother caressed her face and kissed her forehead until she finally believed her daughter was safe. She made her famous soup and they both sat now, sipping the broth.

"Mom?" T'mana asked.

"Hmmm?"

"Can I stay for a few days? I'm worried that the gunman may have my address…"

"Of course, _Cante_. You stay as long as you want." Her mother squeezed her arm comfortingly. "I thank the Spirits they brought you back to me." She murmured in Sioux. "What do the police have to say?" The question caught T'mana off guard. She hadn't considered the police. But she supposed since she technically witnessed a murder, she should report it. But the police would dig for details in a way her mother didn't. Could her story hold up against the police? She didn't want to bring them into it and she didn't want to get caught in a lie trying to cover for them.

"Not much." T'mana lied.

"Well, I'll go with you to the DMV to get a new driver's license. You should put your blood type and donor information on it this time, _Cante_. You might have needed it today."

"Yeah. It couldn't hurt." She agreed.

When it was time for bed, her mother walked her to her childhood bedroom. She tucked her in like she used to do and kissed her forehead. Then she stroked her forehead and softly began chanting a song in the Lakota language.

"Mom." T'mana whined half heartedly. "I'm not a child. You don't have to sing me to sleep."

"Hush," her mother interrupted her song. "I'm your mother and you're my child. This is what mother's do." She continued her song and kissed T'mana good night. T'mana fell asleep feeling loved and safe.

Several days passed and the landline rang with an unknown number. T'mana waited for the voicemail to pick up.

"T'mana, It's April. Just calling to check in on you." T'mana picked up the phone before her mother could ask her who April was.

"Hello, April." T'mana said, leaving the room for some privacy. "I wanted to thank you for the money you left for me. I did use it for clothes."

"You're welcome. We girls have to stick together. Listen, I talked to the guys and they say your place is all clear. I don't know if you saw or not, but the shooter was officially arrested."

"He was?" T'mana blurted. "When? How?"

"Remember, Raph made sure he got caught? Well, they got him and it made the news. So he's off the streets for now. I'm sure there will be a hearing, but you can come home now. Leo said it's safe."

"I'm not supposed to see them again," T'mana began. "But can you please relay my thanks? They really went out of their way to make sure I was safe and I can't express my gratitude enough for that." T'mana was misting up again, but her voice was still strong.

"I'll pass it along."

"And thank you for letting me know. You've all been very kind."

"You're welcome. Take care, okay?"

"You, too." T'mana hung up the phone, relieved. If Leo said it was safe, then it was safe.

* * *

Leo, Don, and Mikey were all sitting at the table eating breakfast when Raph came in and slammed a wet, muddy roll of paper on the table. It stuck unceremoniously like papier mache and the sense of drama that Raph was trying to achieve missed its mark as the occupants at the table looked at the paper and then at Raph without real interest. Raph huffed and unrolled the paper.

"Look." He pointed at one of the headlines. It wasn't the front page. From what Leo could read of the running ink, it was page twenty five and the article that Raph was referring to consisted of one paragraph. But the headline said it all: Alley Murder Suspect Release On Bail Scheduled Tomorrow.

Instinctively, Leo looked at the top of the page and read that the date, of course, was yesterday's. This was old news and the gunman was being released today. Leo could feel the anticipation roiling from Raph. He was ready for more action. It had been several weeks since their interaction with the woman T'mana and Raph, he knew, could take her or leave her. Raph just needed a reason o get out and tangle with the gunman again. Quite a hobby his brother had. Donnie had been just as quick as Leo.

"We have to tell her." He said urgently. "She has to know."

"She might already." Leo reasoned.

"It's on page twenty five. I wouldn't assume that." Don retorted with a bit of an edge. "You'd think something like this would rate the first page. But I guess murder doesn't make the headlines anymore."

"No, Don. Murder rates the first page. But due process doesn't. Not enough blood." Leo hated politics. He sighed in frustration. Don was right. He couldn't assume the woman had read the very small article tucked in the back of the paper. Part of him knew it was right to warn her. That she hadn't caused them any harm and had kept silent as she had promised. But still, he dreaded bringing her back into their lives. Meeting up again was sure to create a firmer foundation for friendship that could lead to dangerous situations…on both sides. But did he want to sacrifice his morality for safety? Wasn't that the true definition of cowardice? Even if it was to keep his family safe? They seemed willing to take the risk. At least, Don and Raph did.

"Yeah, dude. Not enough guts and gore for posting bail. But I don't wanna see Tim's picture in the headlines tomorrow, know what I mean?" Mikey intoned. Leo sighed. He already knew Splinter's mind. Splinter would tell him to have compassion for the girl and keep her safe. But he couldn't keep everyone safe all the time! That was an impossible task and an unfair burden. His only duty was to his family. He decided that they would take the message to T'mana and the rest would be in her hands. If she was foolish enough to not run for safety, then it wouldn't be his problem or his responsibility.

"All right." Leo relented. "Don and I will go topside to let her know. I want you and Mikey walking patrol down here. He's probably a bit raw over the fact that Raph kicked his butt and got him in police custody. He may want to repay that."

"No problem." Raph smiled.

"I want your shell cells on at all times. No exceptions." Leo ordered. "You know the emergency code. Text 9-1-1 then-"

"We know!" Raph cried, impatient. "If ya remember, I was the one who texted the last time. Mikey, I say we take the north tunnel first."

"You got it!" Mikey agreed cheerfully and they began to walk out.

"Stick together!" Leo called out. Raph didn't turn around, but waved his hand irritatedly in acknowledgement. Leo rolled his eyes. He turned to Don. "Okay, we go together, but I want you to do the talking. Just tell her the news and then we go. Got it?"

"Then we go? What if-"

"Then we go." Leo repeated, firmly. "Under no circumstances are you to suggest anything else to her. I think you know what I mean."

Donnie blushed in response and looked away.

"Fine." Donnie led the way to the apartment. Leo knew that Donnie had kept a loose eye on her once or twice. Leo had as well. To make sure she kept silent. But Donnie's motives were different.

It was a nice apartment. Equipped with a balcony and a view rather than a fire escape. They made their way onto the balcony and took refuge there from prying eyes. They looked in through the window and saw that she was home. She appeared to be emptying her dishwasher. Leo stepped away from the window and got in a crouch position that hid him from T'mana and also peeping toms. He nodded to Don. Don stepped into view and tapped on the sliding glass window. T'mana froze and followed the sound with her eyes. Donnie could tell the instant her eyes landed on him. They went wide and then her brow furrowed. But she did come to the door and opened it.

"Donatello?" She asked…the question in her voice asking why he was there rather than who he was.

"Hello." Donnie said with an uncomfortable smile and pathetic wave. She moved aside, the action inviting him in. He stepped in awkwardly and stood next to her kitchen counter. She didn't close the door, she was watching him closely.

"Hello." She responded, not unpleasant, but still worried. A moment passed as Donnie tried to think of something to say. He had tried to think of a good opener the whole time he had trekked over, but now he found none of them really worked. They all sounded cheesy and like pick up lines from a drunk at a bar.

"How are you?" He asked. Grimacing at his lack of social skill at the moment. T'mana hesitated, knowing that something was going on and that Donnie didn't know how to begin.

"I'm…good. And you?" She returned, playing the game.

"Good...I'm good." He sighed. Outside, Leo had his hand to his forehead in frustration. Get on with it already! Donnie seemed to sense Leo's irritation and plunged forward. "Look…there's no easy way to say this, T'mana, so I'm just gonna…" He sighed again. "The gunman is being released on bail today." He blurted.

T'mana stared at him a moment, taking in his form as if for the first time. This strange turtleman, this kind creature, risked coming to the surface to warn her. But she could not pretend.

"I know." She admitted softly. She walked around him and began to put dishes away again. She left the door opened, leaving him an exit if he chose to leave. Cleaning made her feel better. It was such an ordinary task that grounded her in an extraordinary moment. It was better to think about where the dishes should go, than what would happen to her now.

"What?" Donnie chuffed, turning to watch her, incredulous. "You know?"

"Yeah. I read it in the paper yesterday." Donnie's mouth dropped open even more and his shock began to melt into anger.

"Yesterday?" He demanded. "And you're here? At the address that he may have? Alone?" His voice had escalated with each question, causing T'mana to get defensive. His frustration made her feel like a child. Like he didn't trust her judgment.

"Yes. I am." She said coolly, looking at him.

"You should go to your mother's." He demanded. "Right away."

"Absolutely not." She calmly replied. Resuming her dish duty.

"T'mana, it is not safe for you to stay here! You need to go-"

"Absolutely not!" She cried emphatically, slamming a mug down on the counter brusquely, not shouting but brooking no argument and leaving Don without words. There was a long pause and then T'mana sighed. "Look," She began. "It's something your brother said. Leonardo. It stuck with me. He said this guy's a professional. And he's right. If this gunman wants to find me, he will. So the best thing I can do for my family, for the people I love, is to be as far away as possible when he does." She waited and Donnie was still speechless, but much more concerned than when he had first arrived. "So I'm not going anywhere. But thank you. Thank you for coming to tell me." Another moment passed and she heard another tapping. This time, her eyes found Leonardo at her balcony door.

"Leonardo!" She actually bowed her head a little without realizing it. Leo nodded at her, his face blank as always. He just stood there, watching her. It was quite unnerving.

"May I come in?" He finally asked. She blushed.

"Oh, of course! Sorry…come in." She waved her hands motioning him to enter and he stepped into her home. She seemed genuinely surprised to see him, which made her words that much more effective on him.

"Is the only reason you're unwilling to go somewhere else because you're worried about endangering others?" He asked.

"Um…it's pretty much _the_ reason." She agreed.

"I can respect that."

"Leo!" Donnie hissed, outraged.

"She wants to protect her family, Don. No one gets that better than I do. And I'm going to respect her wish."

"Thank you." She said, emphatically. He nodded, in his stoic way.

"But I do have a suggestion." Leo offered. "There is a place you could go that wouldn't make a difference if you were there or not." She frowned in confusion.

"I'm not sure I understand."

"The lair." Leo explained. "The gunman already knows. If he wants to come, then he will. But we'll be ready for him. You'd be safer there than you would be here. Just an option for you to think over." She didn't know what to say. Both she and Donnie had the same expression on their faces: pure surprise. Donnie was actually mad. Leo had hinted that Donnie needed to keep his focus on the news because he hadn't wanted Donnie to get carried away and invite her back. But then Leo did just that!

"You…would do that? You would let me stay with you?" Her voice clearly indicated that she knew the importance of what was being offered. It pleased Leo to hear the awe and gratitude in her voice. That she knew this was not something offered lightly.

"If you choose it." Leo confirmed.

"Yes, please." Her voice broke, the terror that had been swimming in the back of her mind all day crashing over her. Her breath became uneven as she tried to hold back her emotions. "I don't want to die." She whispered and let a single sob escape and then held her breath.

"You won't." Donnie comforted. He was getting ready to say something else when Leo spoke up.

"You'll be safe with us." T'mana looked at Leo.

"I believe you." She said. Leo nodded and then turned to Don.

"Don, go back to the lair and have the cot placed in the expansion. You know how to work those hinges and things." Don nodded.

"I'll get you set up with everything. It'll be ready for you." Donnie smiled and T'mana couldn't help but smile back.

"Thank you." And Donnie went out the balcony and disappeared. T'mana stared, her eyes wide in shock. "Did he just jump off the balcony?"

"He knows how to land." She looked at Leo to see if he was joking, but, of course, he wasn't.

"But we're going a different way, right?" A faint smile appeared on Leo's face.

"Yes. You should pack now. Lightly. Only what you can carry." She left to do as he said.

* * *

She packed a small roller suitcase of things. Mainly clothes and her bathroom essentials. She took no comforts with her, only necessity. She believed if she asked it of him, Leo would carry a second suitcase for her, but she would not impose such a frivolous request after he opened his home yet again to her for her safety. She came out with the single suitcase and he looked at her.

"That's all you need?"

"Enough clothes for two weeks, strategically packed and toiletries. It's all I need." She grabbed her purse and slung it around her body to make it hands free. Leo made no further comment and did not offer to carry her bags for her. He told her to meet him in the back alley and he dropped out of sight much the same way Don did. She went down the stairs and exited the building, finding Leo exactly where he said he would be. He had the sewer cover open. He made her go down first as he watched her suitcase, then he handed it down to her and followed, closing the manhole after him.

T'mana suddenly felt awkward being alone with him. She knew it was a bit of a walk until they reached the lair. She was terrible at small talk. April had initiated all the conversation to New Jersey. She was a reflexive converser.

"Thank you again." She offered, unsure what else to say. Leo just nodded and kept silent. After several minutes of silence, Leo did speak.

"When do you get up for work?" He asked.

"Usually around six thirty." She said. "But I'll work around whatever your schedule is." She hurried to add. It was dim in the sewer so she couldn't see Leo smile faintly.

"That won't be necessary. We rise very early, I'm sure you recall."

"Right."

"You'll be on your own for breakfast."

"Not a problem."

"Dinner is up to you. We eat around five o'clock."

"Thank you. I work until six thirty. I'll grab something on the way back."

"If you prefer." He said neutrally.

"Um…is there a way I should…knock or something?"

"Knock?" Leo asked, frowning in confusion.

"Yes. So I don't get attacked by you all when I come back from work because you think I'm the gunman."

"Oh." Leo smirked faintly again. "I'll work something out with Don." They arrived and she looked away as Leo entered in the keypad numbers. He took her to an alcove off to the side. It was an extension off the main room, but was still open. Don had fitted it out with a collapsible bed and had the sheets and comforter all set for her with a spare pillow. She rolled her suitcase in and leaned it against the wall.

"Thanks, Donatello." She said, gesturing to the bed.

"Don," he corrected. "And you're welcome." Leo left her with Don and wandered back to the main area.

"What gives, Fearless?" Raph snorted under his breath to Leo. "Bringin' her here? What's in your head?"

"Just until this blows over." Leo defended. "It's what Splinter would have wanted us to do." Raph shrugged. "See anything on patrol?" Leo redirected.

"Nope. Not one damn thing. Boring night, bro." Leo looked over to where T'mana was.

"Not anymore." Leo grimaced. Raph chuckled.

"Hey, Tim!" Mikey bellowed with joy. T'mana started and looked over to see Mikey sprinting for her. He gave her a big bear hug which she was too stunned to return. He let her go and his smile was still 1,000 watts. "Glad you're okay!" He said. "Heard that bad dude was out walkin' about. Uncool." He shook his head.

"Uh…thanks, Micha-Mikey." He gave her a thumbs up.

"You remembered! Shyeah! No one forgets the Mikester. All the ladies remember him." He gave her a lecherous grin that she didn't know how to respond to. Luckily, she didn't have to. Don threw a pillow that struck Mikey in the face. "Dude!" He whined, losing his cool façade. "Not cool!"

"Mikey, go play your video games or something." Don said, shaking his head. "Sorry about him. He failed to grow up." T'mana smiled kindly.

"He's happy. There are worse things." She shrugged. Don returned her smile.

"So…want the tour?" T'mana raised an eyebrow.

"Is that allowed?"

"You're here, aren't you? You should probably know what's off limits. Like Leo's room." T'mana blushed.

"Right. Good idea. Lead on." He went out of the room and she followed him.

"This," he gestured to the large room. "Is the main living area. I should warn you that Mikey has gaming hours and can get a bit rambunctious. He has an online group that he plays with. Sometimes…I…um…join him." He added embarrassed.

"You game, too?" She asked politely.

"Yeah…it's fun. I like the strategy games. Mikey likes the blow everything up including your team games."

"Is watching allowed?"

"You'd want to watch? It's pretty boring."

"I think it'd be nice to see something like that. Something new and different."

"Sure." Don agreed eagerly. "I'm sure Mikey wouldn't pass up a chance to brag."

"You've seen the kitchen and the bathroom…Oh. The bathroom is usually occupied very early in the morning . Then we work out and take showers, but that usually isn't until seven or so."

"Okay. I'll need to leave at about seven from here to get to work on time."

"That should work fine and you won't have to be quiet, we'll already be up." He paused. "So did…uh…everything work out with your stolen stuff? I mean the purse and phone and things?"

"Oh, yes. My mom helped me with getting my license back and I called all the banks and had them mail me replacements for my debit and credit cards. I'm all set now."

"What a hassel."

"I managed. There are worse things." She unconsciously brushed her hair behind her head and revealed her bullet wound. It was healed over now, but Don could still see it. He knew where to look for it.

"Yeah, that's true." Don agreed. "Is it healing well?" He gestured to her wound. She tilted her head to allow him to look. "Looks very good. Does it hurt or anything still?"

"No. I just have to be careful when I'm brushing my hair, but other than that, I don't feel it." He nodded that this was good and then led her to another room that was very large and had matts on the floor. He didn't walk in so she didn't either.

"This is where we work out. It's called a dojo and if you come in here, please take your shoes off. It's a sign of respect to the teaching and learning that we do in this room."

"Certainly." T'mana accepted, knowing full well she would just avoid that room all together to prevent any possible insult. He showed her the closets with spare blankets and towels, the food pantry and the bedrooms upstairs. "May I ask you a question, Don?"

"Sure." He encouraged.

"It might be considered…rude." She warned.

"I can't imagine you being rude." He chuckled. "So I'll try not to be offended."

"Where do you get everything? Towels? Food? Frozen pizza?"

"I've made some money over the years so we're able to buy things. April does runs for us. When she's out of town we have a grocer that leaves groceries at a drop point. We pay very well so he doesn't ask questions."

"You've got quite a set up down here." She gestured to all the TVs and electronics. "Your doing?"

"I salvage things. Another hobby of mine. Gadgets are my thing. I did the door." He indicated the key pad.

"Oh! That reminds me. Leonardo said something about working with you to let me in when I get back from work. So that you know it's me at the door."

"Sure! Come on over here." He took her into the lab, the medical room she had already been in. "Pick a five digit number sequence. One that you can remember." She told him one. "Okay, when you type that in the keypad outside, we'll know it's you and let you in." T'mana bit her lip.

"How are you notified? Does the number sequence show up?"

"Yes. It'll show up on the screen by the opening mechanism."

"Can you program another one?"

"Forgot already?" He asked, grinning.

"No." She didn't return his smile. "There should be one in case I'm being forced to enter the number. So you're alerted and you know." Don's grin faded.

"Sure, I can do that." He said quietly. "I hope you won't need to."

"Me, too. But that man…he was down here. He might come back." Don frowned.

"Okay, what's the emergency door code, then?" She gave him another set. He wrote it down and the other set and labeled them for his brothers. "I'll tell the others. But you bring up an interesting point. He might come looking around here. I'll talk with Leo, but I think one of us should walk you to and from work. At least for the sewer portion."

"Oh, no! That's too much." Don could sense she didn't want to be a burden but was still very much afraid of the gunman. He chuckled, trying to put her at ease.

"I think we can spare five minutes of sewer walking. We'll be doing it anyway." He said. "We patrol all the time. More so now because of the guy being released. It really isn't a problem. We'll just have your route to work be the first leg of the patrol while you're here." She did not want to be around when Don proposed that to Leo.

And she wasn't. It seemed to her that Leo was making a point of avoiding any room she occupied. If she came in and he was already there, he refused to leave. But he ignored her completely except to keep an eye on her. He did not address her. The other brothers, Don and Mikey particularly, seemed to enjoy her company and wanted to get to know her better. She kept herself a closed book as a habit and only allowed surface information to be shared. This wasn't out of cruelty or fear, but rather she didn't want to bore them with her lackluster life. She loved her life, dearly, but most other people would roll their eyes and change the channel. She believed their interest was courtesy and she did not intend to trod upon it and make them regret being kind to her.

Leo did approve an escort for her and Don took the first day. He gave her his shell cell number and told her to ring him when she was ready to come back. The next day was Mikey, then Raph and then Leo. Leo said not a word to her, but led her to the ladder, made sure she got up okay and picked her up at the same ladder. He took her hand to help her down, then released her immediately and kept silent as he walked. T'mana was used to silence. She preferred it. You heard so much more when you weren't talking. She was fine with the silence except that it meant that Leo did not much care for her. It was awkward to be so aware of his dislike, but she did not impose herself on him by foisting unwanted conversation upon him. So she walked without speaking a word as well.

Several days passed in this manner and T'mana had a routine. Routines were a necessity for her. So much so that she lost a great deal of sleep over it the first few nights with the turtles. The panic that the schedules not merge right. That she might be in the bathroom when one of them needed it or that they couldn't walk her when she needed to leave. She tossed and turned worrying over these details that ordinary people would assume would work themselves out. T'mana did not have the luxury of such assumptions. But her ability to react quickly certainly helped and after two work days, she had her schedule down to the minute.

After the basic schedule was regimented, T'mana threw in some of her extracurricular activities and let the turtles know. Things like working out at the gym, playing tennis or the batting cages. And also nights out with Guy. Her boyfriend, Michael Gaius, had moved to New York just two weeks ago and so she wanted to make time for him as well. She had told him about the whole terrible hold up incident. She didn't want him to think she disappeared off the face of the earth.

She chose a night that Don was on watch and told him about Guy and how she wanted to see him. He remained stoic for a moment and then said of course she could see her boyfriend and that she should call so he could walk her back. She thanked him profusely and called Guy to make the plans.

She was now sitting at a dining table with Guy across from her. His blonde hair curled around his ears and his baby blue eyes perused the menu.

"I'm glad you could come out." She said.

"Yeah. This place is great. Jeanie at work told me that the lettuce wraps are phenomenal here."

"How is work?" She asked.

"Oh, it's great, Tim. They have a café and a lounge in the office! Can you believe that? We hang out there and shoot the breeze. It's great."

"That sounds nice." Guy nodded that it was nice, but did not ask her how her new office was or how her new position was working out. T'mana was used to this and did not take offense. "What do you recommend? Other than the lettuce wraps?"

"I think I'm going to get the Lemon Chicken. That's sounds really good. You should get the Sesame Chicken. That's your favorite, right?"

"I like Sesame Chicken." She said and he grinned. It wasn't her favorite. She ordered Orange Chicken every Asian place they went, but she didn't correct him. He ordered for himself and for her and she resigned herself to Sesame Chicken for the night.

"So…you don't call, you don't write…" He joked. "Where have you been?" She shrugged.

"Just…busy."

"Busy, huh?"

"Yep…new apartment stuff. You know."

"Okay. Anything else going on? Oh…you're working with that woman…right? What's her name?"

"Ms. Grey."

"Right! She's the one. Jeanie was saying that she's a crack pot!"

"Well…I don't work with Ms. Grey. Just for her. She's the owner of the company. I'm just some lowly paper pusher. I don't even see her."

"Well…I hear she's a bit of a whack job. So good luck with that!" Their food arrived and they began to eat. T'mana did enjoy the Sesame Chicken. They each shared their meal with each other as was their habit. They finished eating. "Oh, that was good. I have to call it a night, though. Early morning tomorrow." T'mana nodded. Guy often had to work on Saturdays. "You got a way home?"

"Yes. I'll be fine."

"Cool." He got up, pecked her on the cheek and left the restaurant after paying the bill. He did not ask her how she was doing and he did not bring up the gunman incident. T'mana didn't know whether to be grateful or depressed.

* * *

"So how'd your date go with Guy?" Don asked as he helped her down the sewer ladder.

"It was nice." She said.

"Where did you end up going? To that place on 75th you wanted to try?"

"No. We went to a small Chinese place that someone at his work recommended."

"Oh, was it good?"

"It was." Don could sense her lack of enthusiasm, but did not address it.

"Early night, huh?" He asked.

"Yes, he has to get up early tomorrow."

"Oh, well, we have a tournament tonight." He offered. "You said you might want to watch us gaming one night and a tournament might be more interesting than a normal night."

"Oh?" T'mana's tone changed from unemotional to interested and Don's ego was appeased. "That sounds like fun. I don't have work tomorrow, so I don't have to go to bed early or anything."

"Great. I'll let Mikey know. He'll make extra popcorn." T'mana smiled.

"Sounds like fun. I'll dress down, though." She looked down at her heels, floral skirt and fitted top.

"You would be overdressed." Don grinned. "You do look very nice, though." He complimented. "Lavender is a nice color for you." T'mana blushed slightly.

"Thank you."

"I bet Guy liked it too." He added, not wanting her to think he was overstepping his bounds.

"Guy doesn't pay attention to colors so much."

"Oh, well that's most guys. I guess I just have an eye for purple." He pointed to his mask, trying to make a joke. T'mana smiled and walked in after Don opened the door.

Leo was sitting on the couch reading the paper. When she walked in, she noticed him look at the clock and frown slightly. Then he went back to his paper without another glance to her.

"Mikey!" Don shouted. "One more for popcorn."

"Cool! Who? Casey?"

"T'mana." Mikey came to the kitchen door flexing his muscles.

"Oh, you get to see the Might of Mikey!" He flexed again. T'mana arched a brow.

"Isn't gaming sitting in a chair with a controller?" She asked. "Does that require a lot of might?" She added innocently. Raph guffawed and Don smirked, while Mikey struggled for a comeback.

"Yeah? Well…no popcorn for you!" He went back to the kitchen and Don shook his head.

"Told you." He said. "Never grew up." T'mana smiled and grabbed some things to change into. Twenty minutes later she was comfortable and seated on a barcalounger. There were seats on the couch available, but Leo was still reading the paper there. He looked at the clock again, folded the paper and set it on the coffee table. The TVs were off, so T'mana was sitting in silence looking at the wall. Leo noticed this and frowned.

"What are you doing?" He asked. She blinked and looked over at him, not sure if he was addressing her since he hadn't in several days.

"Me?" She asked, pointing to herself moronically. He nodded.

"Do you often stare at walls?" He asked sardonically. She blushed. She did, actually. Walls were blank and she projected her thoughts onto them often. It helped her think and organize her feelings. She usually, however, did this in private. She hadn't realized she was doing it now until she had been interrupted.

"Just thinking." She answered self consciously.

"Must have been interesting. You were staring pretty hard." He commented.

"I was just trying to formulate a plan for when I go back home." She said. "I think I need to get a new place. I don't think I'll really feel comfortable there no matter how much time passes. I was thinking tomorrow I should go apartment hunting after work. Then I was thinking it wouldn't matter. He could just track me by my name. So even if I moved, he would find me. There's always a paper trail for things like that and there aren't a lot of T'mana Callahan's in the world let alone New York. So I was thinking there had to be another option and then you asked me a question." He stared at her.

"You think a lot." He said calmly.

"If I didn't, I'd be dead now." Leo was impressed. He had thought she was spacing out and dreaming about her man. But she had a very intelligent and appropriate line of thought.

"Talk to Don." He said finally. "He can probably dummy up an alias enough for you to purchase an apartment. You can probably buy it under your name, but Don can tamper the records a little so anyone searching won't find you." He shrugged. "Worth looking into."

"He can do that?"

"Probably. He's a techno genius."

"That would be ideal." She said to herself. "Then I could move and fade away. I didn't go to the police myself, so they probably would assume I'm too afraid to."

"Aren't you?" Leo asked. She looked over at him.

"Hmm? Oh, no. I didn't avoid the police because I was afraid of the gunman." She said dismissively. Leo leaned forward.

"Then why didn't you?" She stared at Leo as if he should know the answer. She waited for him to get it, but he kept watching her.

"I didn't want the police to pick apart my story." She finally said. "If anything didn't match, they'd put me and the sewer under a microscope. I didn't think you would appreciate that."

"The sewer?" Leo said doubtfully.

"Sure. The gunman was down here and I'm sure it came up. He was dragged through it for goodness sake. It wouldn't take forensics long to figure out where he'd been." Leo leaned back on the couch thoughtfully. He seemed about to say something when Mikey bounded into the room with the biggest bowl of popcorn T'mana had ever seen.

"Bro." Mikey said to Leo. "Dude, you know what time it is." Leo rolled his eyes but vacated the couch to Mikey's delight.

"Hell yeah!" Raph shouted suddenly from another room. He came out of his room and stood on top of the stairs. "Guess who's finally comin' to New York for a live concert? Just fuckin' guess!" Leo's face suddenly took on a bright quality that T'mana had yet to see.

"Muse?" He asked.

"Muse." Raph agreed. "They only ever do UK and Europe! Finally…bout time they came to the states!"

"When? Where?" Raph smiled at Leo's suppressed joy.

"Get this shit. They're _buildin'_ a venue for them in the park! I saw the specs online. We can get in without bein' seen. Everythin' I read says they lock down once you're in, so we got to do it early, but it's gonna be dark and we can rock out our street clothes and no one will fuckin' know!" Leo smiled. Actually _smiled_.

"That's great." Leo said, completely understating if his face had anything to say about it. "We'll keep an eye on the specs and security to the last minute just to be sure, but let's do it!" Raph hopped the stair railing and landed next to his brother. He held up his hand and Leo smacked it.

"Hell yeah." Raph said again. He smirked over at T'mana.

"Favorite band?" She asked. Raph grinned.

"Best band fuckin' ever." He said. "You like concerts?"

"Sure. When is it?"

"Date's tentative right now. But they're aimin' for October 18th." T'mana wrinkled her brow in thought.

"That's a Thursday." She said.

"Friday."

"No… October 18th…that's a Thursday." She insisted, doing the math again. Raph rolled his eyes and walked over to the calendar and flipped to the appropriate month.

"Huh." He said.

"Thursday?" She asked.

"Yeah. But the website says Friday the 18th. Guess I'll keep checkin' the site." He turned to Leo. "How awesome is that?" Leo nodded, still smiling. "Hell yeah." Raph said yet again. Don came in the room and announced it was game time. T'mana settled on the couch and prepared to learn all about the gaming world.

* * *

T'mana spoke to Don about her apartment concern. She mentioned that Leo said Don might be able to help. She noticed he puffed proudly at that comment and was pleased she had come to him for help. He said he could certainly fudge the records for her to keep her identity safe and he told her happy hunting. She had been looking for several days and was getting frustrated. She walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water and let her frustration out on the cabinet doors and cup, thumping and slamming as she went. She took a huge gulp, wished it was wine instead of water, and slammed the cup down, leaning against the sink and dropping her head in irritation.

"Bad day?" Leo snapped. She spun around. She thought she had been alone.

"Sorry!" She squeaked. Her presence changed so much instantly, from anger to panic, that Leo felt a little guilty. But only a little. "I didn't know you were there."

"Here or not, don't break our things." Nothing had been broken and she had been careful to use only enough force to vent a little anger, but she was properly chastised.

"Of course. I'm sorry. I'll be more respectful of your property." She immediately turned around and cleaned the glass thoroughly. She dried it until it sparkled and put it back in the cabinet with delicate care. She tried to walk out of the kitchen, but Leo stopped her at a word.

"Wait." He commanded. And to her own aggravation, she listened instantly. Her body halted at his voice. She was respectful if nothing else and did obey him out of courtesy rather than subservience. She didn't know how he interpreted it and she didn't care. When he didn't say another word to her, she pivoted on her toes to face him.

"What's so upsetting that you go around slamming things?" He phrased it to show his authority, but T'mana could sense his curiosity through it. She decided to indulge him.

"I can't find a place." She admitted. "All the places in my price range are in the bad parts of town. It's… disappointing."

"How did you end up with the place you have now?"

"My company arranged it. I'm not required to keep it if I want to move."

"Can't your company arrange a new one?" T'mana stared at him.

"They didn't have to do that for me at all. It was a courtesy. To go back to them would be insulting. I'm the one who wants to move so I should be the one to find a new apartment and do all the leg work. That's fair." Leo agreed with her but did not say so. She leaned against the door frame and pinched her nose, trying to ease the tension in her sinuses. "I'm looking as fast as I can." She offered. Guilt swept through Leo as he realized she was stressing herself because she felt she needed to leave as soon as possible.

"I know." Leo said. "April might have some suggestions. She's lived here her whole life and knows where to go. I'll let her know you're looking."

"Thank you." T'mana stuttered, surprised. "That would probably help a lot." Leo nodded. "Okay, well…I'll go check some more listings online." She started to walk away. Leo sighed and folded his arms.

"T'mana." He said and she stopped again. "We're not going to kick you out on the street." He said.

"I know. I have an apartment."

"We're not counting that." Leo said. "Right now, you're without a home. And I said we're not going to kick you out on the street." He picked up his empty mug and went to the sink to wash it. "We're not monsters." He said in a dangerous low voice. T'mana was beside herself. How he jumped to that conclusion, she'd never know.

"I know." She said firmly. "I've seen monsters. I can tell the difference." He looked over at her.

"You've seen monsters? What, the gunman? You saw him and then you ran. Barely got a glimpse." He put the mug back.

"That's true. And then he cut me off so that I ran into him. He put the gun to my face and asked me why I wasn't begging him for my life. He smiled at me as he cocked the gun. That's when your brother jumped in. So I saw him. Quite clearly." She folded her arms, but more to hold herself than to show authority or disapproval. She sighed. "And I know he saw me clearly, too."

"Guys like that are always in and out of jail."

"It's when he's out that I worry."

"Not enough to leave your apartment apparently." Leo admonished.

"No. When you two came to me, I was waiting for him. I would have eventually thought of something, I'm sure. But I don't know that it would have been before…" She fell silent and rubbed her arms nervously, then let go of herself. "So thank you, for letting me stay. That, too, probably saved my life."

"You're welcome." Leo said and left the kitchen, brushing past her without another word. She looked after him and thought not of his rudeness, but of his subtle attempt to calm her. He seemed in complete control of himself at all times and T'mana wished she had the same ability. She was stoic much of the time, but was easily overwhelmed. She got the feeling that it would take a lot for Leo to crack let alone explode. Her admiration grew and she vowed to get a new place as soon as she was able. Not to get away from him, but so she could cease being a burden and a stress to him.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I know the story has been slow, but I promise that it will pick up soon. Some relationship development in this chap, so I hope you enjoy! Please read and review :) Action soon to come!**

Through April's connections, she did find a new apartment. She closed her month to month lease with the other apartment and arranged for her belongings to be moved to the new place. Raph and Don had done a quick inspection at her new place while Leo and Mikey did an inspection of her old place to make sure no one was monitoring her move. It would do no good to have a name with an alias if the gunman simply watched where she went.

The move went smoothly and all of her things were boxed ready to be unpacked at her new place. As planned, she went back to the lair. Don met her at the ladder and escorted her back. She gathered up her things quietly and then stacked them against the wall. She walked up to Leo first and he arched an eye ridge at her, but kept silent.

"Thank you." She held out her hand. He looked at it a moment as if considering rejecting it, but did take her hand and shook it once and let go abruptly.

"You're welcome." He said and stepped back, letting Mikey butt in.

"Bye, Tim!" He bear hugged her again. "Maybe you can watch another tournament sometime." He offered. Her eyes flicked over to Leo and could tell immediately he disapproved. She smiled at Mikey and patted his shoulder. She stepped over to Raph. He, too, had ignored her, but not out of spite. He simply had other things to do and wasn't too interested in T'mana. He waved and nodded at her whenever she came into a room and occasionally addressed her in idle conversation, but for the most part, they did not interact.

"Goodbye, Raphael." She said.

"Bye. Take care." He grumbled. She went to grab her things and Don began walking her to the ladder. Leo followed them.

"Don." He said. Don turned. "She left some items in the bathroom. Can you go grab them?" Don frowned, wondering why Leo didn't just bring them himself, but did as his brother asked. Leo waited until Don appeared to be out of earshot.

"Your new place…it has good security?" He asked her. She blinked.

"Yes. There's a doorman and I also installed an alarm system." Leo nodded and looked behind him again briefly.

"It was nice to meet you, T'mana." He said. "Take care of yourself." He stepped back and turned before she could acknowledge what he said. As if on cue, Don appeared carrying a tube of toothpaste. He watched Leo stalk away as he awkwardly handed her the tube.

"I guess this is what he was talking about." Don said. T'mana looked at it and saw that it wasn't hers. But she took it with a thank you and looked at Leo with new eyes. He had wanted to part well and she appreciated that more than he could know. Her admiration for him grew even more. She turned and allowed Don to walk her to the ladder again. When they reached it, Don spoke.

"Listen," Don said. "If you need help, call. Okay? You still have my number?" She nodded that she did. "Good. If you need anything, let me know."

"Thank you, Don." She said. "I appreciate that."

"I'll do a few patrols every now and again to keep an eye out." He said warmly. "But I'm available most times." She did something she did not often do on her own free will. She was not, by nature, a friendly outgoing person. She wasn't rude, but definitely reserved physically. But Don warranted more than a stoic goodbye and she wanted to show him her appreciation in a way he could understand. She stepped closer and pulled him into a gentle embrace. He returned it tentatively and patted her back once.

"Thanks for everything. You went out of your way to make me feel welcome and safe and I won't forget that. I wish there was something I could do for you." She said.

"Just keep yourself safe. That would make me feel better." T'mana smiled.

"Goodbye." She stepped away towards the ladder.

"Goodbye, T'mana." She climbed and went to her new apartment.

* * *

Several weeks passed and she fell into her original routine again. She dove into work. Anything to keep her mind off the gunman and the turtles. She found herself missing the turtles. They had added some adventure and unpredictability that she found acceptable and pleasant. They didn't frighten her, but they kept her guessing. She wondered if they thought of her at all. She decided they probably didn't. She remembered that they often helped people and she was just one of many. She couldn't hope to be as unique to them as they were to her.

She was walking home from work. It was much closer now and her hours were earlier so she didn't have to walk home in the dark most of the time. Except in the winter months, when the sun would set earlier. Today had been a good day. She had been promoted. It wasn't a large jump up, but it was progress and she did get a raise. She stepped inside, carrying her bags of groceries. She had planned a feast and was going to invite Guy over to celebrate.

She set down the bags and paused. She sniffed the air and thought she smelled gas. Her heart rate jumped immediately. She called Guy.

"Hey, Tim. I'm kind of in the middle of something just now."

"I think I smell gas, Guy. In my apartment…can you come over?" T'mana tried to keep the panic out of her voice and tell herself that she could handle this.

"Call a repairman. They'll actually know what they're doing. And I'm really swamped right now."

"You can't come over later? I had some news…"

"What news?"

"I got promoted." She mumbled, her joy quickly being replaced by disappointment and fear.

"That's great, Tim. Look, call a repairman. We'll do something tomorrow. Okay? Call to let me know how it goes. I really have to get back to it, Tim."

"Okay." He hung up. She sniffed again and was sure she could smell it. The thought of a strange repairman in her home did not sit well with her. She knew the longer she waited the worse it could be. She could be breathing deadly fumes or they could explode if something sparked, like static electricity. She stepped onto the kitchen tile at this thought and bit her lip. She was going to look through the white pages when her phone rang. She answered out of reflex, but didn't speak. She was trying to think who would be calling her.

"T'mana?" Came the greeting.

"Donatello?" She asked.

"Yeah, I was just checking to see how you are."

"Really?" T'mana was shocked at the timing.

"Well, Leo and I were curious about everything and he suggested I call."

"Leo did?"

"Yeah, but I was talking about you and he suggested it." Don seemed to want her to know that it was partially his idea, too.

"Well, it's sort of extraordinary that you're calling now. I think I smell gas in my apartment…um…do you know any reputable repairmen? I'm afraid to pick a random one…" She felt this was the best approach. She didn't directly ask him to come over and he could choose how to handle it.

"You still at the same place?" He asked. She could hear clanking in the background.

"Yes. Same place."

"I'll be there in a bit. I'm just getting my tools. Okay? Sit tight." He hung up the phone and relief rushed in along with the dial tone. She was afraid to move and cause a spark, so she stayed where she was until she heard a tapping on her balcony window. She carefully stepped over and let Don in.

"Hello." He said with a smile.

"Hello." She replied. "Thanks for coming." He noted her fear.

"Hey, it's okay. Don't worry." He sniffed. "I smell it too, but it's small. Do you have gas heat?"

"Um…" Don shook his head with a calm smile.

"Mind if I look around?"

"No, go ahead. Whatever you need." He walked around and sniffed and located the stove as the source of the leak.

"Why don't you keep the glass door open and close the screen door. Open your bedroom window, too. Do you have any fans? I'd let to get some circulation in here." T'mana set to work as he first located and then patched the pipe that was leaking. It took him an hour to fix the pipe and when he was done, he was sweaty and his hands were full of some dark residue. T'mana showed him to the bathroom and gave him fresh linens to refresh with. He returned and leaned on the kitchen table.

"Is it fixed already?" She asked.

"Yes, you're all set. What's all this for?" He asked, pointing to all the groceries.

"Oh…It was for…well…a celebration." She shrugged, clearly no longer in a celebratory mood.

"Oh? What are you celebrating?"

"I got promoted." Don beamed.

"That's great! Hey, congratulations, T'mana!" He clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Feels good, huh? Getting recognized for your hard work?" She smiled, his enthusiasm catching her.

"Yes." She agreed. "And since you mention it…would you care to stay for dinner? It's the least I can do since you saved my life yet again." Don chuckled.

"You don't have to do that." Don shuffled.

"I'd like to though. I'm going to cook it anyway. I'll just have to eat it for two weeks if you don't help me." Don bit his lip and looked out the window.

"Maybe I can stay for a bite." He agreed. She set to cooking. "Can I help? You're the one who was promoted after all."

"Ah, but you fixed my stove, so it's my turn. I'm not exactly a great cook, but I do have one specialty. So you like homemade chicken chowder?"

"Chicken chowder? I have no idea, but it sounds great."

"Take a seat." He sat down at the table while she prepared the food. "So how have you been? And your brothers?"

"We're good. Same old same old."

"Nothing exciting happening?"

"No. I like this time of year though. When the leaves change."

"I agree. Central Park is beautiful this time of year. It's just cold enough to cocoon yourself in a blanket and settle in with a good book, but not freeze your fingers off."

"Don't like the cold? I love the snow. Sometimes we go shell sledding."

"What?" T'mana laughed, imaging the turtles tobogganing on their shells down a snowy hill.

"Yeah. See we lay on our backs and slide ourselves down. Raph is really good at pushing. You'll get air if he pushes hard enough and the snow isn't smooth."

"Don't you freeze?"

"Yeah. But it's worth it. We're cold blooded so we lose heat really fast, but winter is my favorite time of the year. When you come upon an untouched place it looks like a dream. Icicles dripping down and snow coating everything smoothly in a bright white blanket. It's so peaceful."

"I can't get past the cold. I wonder every year why I stay where we can get up to two feet of snow in a single storm. Why don't I live in Arizona or California?"

"Because you're definitely not a west coaster."

"No?"

"No. Do you rollerblade? Because that's how everyone gets around over there." T'mana chuckled.

"Have you ever been to the west coast?"

"No…"

"Well then I think you watch too many movies. Plenty of car driving out that way, I assure you." They talked for a while as she cooked and finally served it in a large bowl garnished with colorful parsley.

"Well this looks great." Don complimented.

"Presentation is only a small part. Hopefully it tastes good, too." She brought a spoonful to her mouth and blew on it to cool it down. Don did the same and took a bite. His eyes closed slowly.

"This is amazing." He said. He quickly took another bite. "Oh, wow. Chicken chowder? How do you get it creamy like this?" T'mana smiled.

"My secret. I'm glad you like it. It's one of Guy's favorites." She blurted. Don set his spoon down and dabbed his mouth with a napkin.

"Is Guy coming later? To celebrate?" T'mana's eyes slid from him to her bowl.

"He's very busy with work and can't leave. But we're doing something tomorrow."

"That's good! But he doesn't get your famous chowder, huh?"

"I could have waited, but I wanted it today." She smiled.

"Glad I got to benefit." He took another healthy bite. When they were finished he helped her with the dishes.

"Thanks again for coming, Don. I hope I didn't get you in trouble or anything."

"Trouble?"

"Well…I think Leo would prefer-"

"Leo would be fine with this." He interrupted.

"Would be? So he doesn't know." T'mana said archly.

"Well…I didn't exactly tell him where I was going. He doesn't know I talked to you yet."

"Hmmm." T'mana said knowingly. "Like I said, I hope I didn't get you into trouble."

"It's fine." Don insisted. "He wouldn't want you hurt or anything."

"I didn't say that he did." T'mana said abruptly. She ruffled at the hidden accusation that she insulted Leo.

"I just meant that Leo may be rough on the outside, but he really does want to help people."

"I picked up on that, too." T'mana allowed, much calmer. "So he's doing well?"

"Yeah. He is so pumped about this concert. It's still like a month away, but he keeps playing the music all through the lair. He and Raph are very excited."

"Aren't you going? You and Mikey?"

"Oh yeah. We're all going. It'll be fun. But I don't think I'm as into the band as they are." He rolled his eyes. "He and Raph actually argued for an hour over which was their best song. Honestly, it's like he's a teenager again. Raph argues anyway, but Leo?" Don shook his head. "It's actually quite amusing." He moved to the door to leave. It was cold in her place now.

"You can close the windows now. It circulated out. The fan, too." He pointed to it. T'mana nodded.

"Thanks again, Don. I appreciate you coming out here to help me."

"You're welcome. Anytime. Don't hesitate to call." He turned to go, but hesitated. "Congratulations again. Have fun tomorrow with Guy."

"Thanks! It should be nice." He took the fire escape and waved one more time. She closed all the windows, turned off the fan, packed up the leftovers and decided to keep them for herself. Guy didn't need to know she made it.

* * *

T'mana felt that she had finally unpacked everything . It took her a while to unpack because finding the right place for each item was an important decision that T'mana put great thought into. The process had taken about two months, but looking around, she still felt ill at ease. This was not her home yet. It always took time breaking a new place in. Since she moved out from her mother's five years ago, it always took T'mana a while to settle in. But then, she had also been in five different places, so she supposed she never really had a true home after she left her mother. And now, after everything she had been through in the past few months, she did not want to feel uneasy any more. She had moved to feel safe and it didn't seem to be working quickly enough for her. The fact that she had used a 'pseudo' name when renting the apartment should have quieted her nerves…it being harder to track her down now. But still…she was jumpy. Something about tonight made her very anxious. More so than other nights.

She sighed. She went to her bedroom and dug under her bed. Now T'mana was as orderly and clean as a human could be without having a mental disorder and still she placed this one item under her bed. She pulled it out now and held it to her. The soft skin of the bag pliable and comforting in her hands. She didn't really believe in the old ways. She believed in the Spirit World and nature and harmony, but not so much the practices or ceremonies of her people. And yet, she kept this bag with her. Her mother had given it to her when she first moved out. 'To keep you safe on your journey.' Her mother had said. It was a medicine bag. At the time, T'mana had dismissed it and flung it in her suitcase and forgotten about it. When she found it again, she didn't throw it away. She told herself that she wanted to be able to present it to her mother if her mother should ever bring it up. Really, she wanted to keep something of her mother's nearby. Crazy as she was, her mother was a good woman with a kind heart and T'mana now fondly remembered the stories and rituals her mother had drilled into her as a child.

The bag was no larger than a pocket watch. It contained a feather, that she may be able to take flight when she needed to, a small stone from the Black Hills that her ancestor's spirits would guide her, sand from the Hudson waters that her father would always be with her and a small piece of blue cloth with three wavy lines indicating her element: water. Each item was meant for protection, but also for strength. Her mother always told her that water flowed with the changes of the land, but also could carve its own way when needed. Water was persistent and could wear down an object in its way. Her mother used to tell her to call upon these traits in time of need. That the Earth always had the answer if you knew where to look.

Well, she was looking now. She gripped the bag tightly trying to figure out how to call upon water, when it hit her. _Call_. Of course! T'mana blushed and began to stuff the medicine bag back under the bed, but then hesitated. She took it out and put it in her pocket. Maybe the spirits couldn't hurt right now. She went to her cell phone and dialed Guy's number. He picked up after five rings and it was very loud.

"Hello?" Guy answered. Clearly he didn't look at his caller ID.

"Guy, it's me." She tried to hide the tremor in her voice. She really didn't want to be alone tonight and it was becoming more urgent as time passed. Almost like a countdown.

"Oh, hey, Tim. What's up?" His voice went fuzzy, but she could still hear. "Right back atcha."

"Guy?"

"Still here. What's up?"

"Can you come over?" She hoped she didn't sound too desperate.

"Well, I'm kinda in the middle of somethin' just now. Can it wait?"

"Um…yeah. Sure. But would you be able to come over later?"

"Tonight? Probably not, babe." Babe? "I've got this thing I can't get out of. You remember Jeanie? It's her birthday. Office politics and all. If I leave now, I'll look like a real jack, you know?"

"Oh. Okay." In the back of her mind, she wondered if there was something going on with Guy and Jeanie. Then she pushed it down deeper and ignored it in favor of her current escalating panic attack.

"Hey, Tim?"

"Yeah?"

"I kinda have to go now. It's sorta rude to be on the phone at a party."

"Right. Sorry."

"No problem. I'll see you, okay? Bye now." And then he hung up. Okay. She hadn't really been afraid before, but now she was. The apartment seemed suddenly hostile and threatening and each noise hinted at a predator. She double checked all the locks and closed the blinds and dimmed the lights. Then she turned the lights back up because she didn't like the dark just now.

"Grow up, T." She told herself firmly. "You're old enough to live on your own and not be afraid of the dark." She tried watching TV, but kept putting it on mute because she thought she heard something. Now she was completely unpacked, she needed to live here now. Alone. Being alone was less appealing than it had been to her. She felt the lump in her pocket, and then had an idea. She picked her phone again and dialed. This phone also took five rings to answer.

"Hello?" The voice was low and suspicious.

"Donnie?" She asked.

"Who is this?" Still suspicion and a bit of demand. Clearly not Donatello.

"Um…this is T'mana. May I please speak with Donatello?" She heard a sigh on the other end.

"This is Leo." T'mana blushed. Uh-oh. Had she just gotten Don in trouble?

"Hello!" She tried to sound cheerful, but probably failed miserably. "How are you?"

"Fine." He answered. His tone was actually amiable even though only one word. But she could also hear question in his voice.

"I was just wondering if Don could come over tonight."

"He can't. He's not at home right now."

"Oh." Her voice clearly sounding her disappointment. "Thanks. It wasn't anything important. You don't need to tell him I called or anything."

"I'll be right there." She wasn't sure she heard correctly.

"Sorry?"

"Just give me ten minutes." Dial tone. She flipped her phone closed and then stared at it. Relief flooded in. She wouldn't be alone. She knew Leo didn't like her very much. More tolerated her than anything else, but she liked him. Very much. She always got so flustered around him. Donnie was easy to be with. Mikey, too. Even Raph wasn't too bad. A little rough around the edges, but he liked a good time like the next person. But Leo was a different type all together. She couldn't figure him out. He was just like a warrior out of her mother's stories. So brave and fearless. Unreal. She didn't think people like that were actually possible, but Leo was living proof.

And, true to his word, no more than ten minutes later was a tap on her window. She was there in a flash to let him in. She knew it was raining and had a towel ready for him. He stepped in and stared at the towel a moment before he took it and began to wipe himself down.

"Thanks." He said.

"Thank _you_. For coming." She couldn't hide the relief in her voice, so she went to the kitchen to prattle about a little. "Can I get you something to drink? Or eat?"

"I'm fine." He wiped his feet down and then held onto the soiled towel. Not wanting to step onto the immaculate carpet or drop the towel anywhere it would cause a mess. The towel was sopping and full of mud. It was raining very heavily outside. T'mana walked right up to him and grabbed the towel out of his hand without a care and waved him in.

"Please come in." She gestured to the couch and put the towel in the sink and washed her hands. He stepped in slowly and looked around. He hadn't been inside this apartment.

"Nice place." He offered.

"Thanks." She said again. She stepped out of the kitchen and now they both looked at each other. "Thank you for coming out, really. I know it was far and raining."

"I'm a turtle." He said and gave her a rare smile that sent her heart fluttering. She laughed a little.

"So what's Donnie up to tonight? I hope I didn't interrupt anything you had going."

"Donnie's out. I wasn't doing anything important." He looked around again and turned a little. T'mana frowned as she saw something sticking to his shell. She walked up to him and Leo turned into her, surprised at her sudden proximity. Then she plucked the thing off his shell and looked at it.

"Aw, man." Leo grumbled. "Are there any more? I'm going to kill Mikey. And then Raph, for egging him on." He was turning to look into a decorative mirror she had hanging to see if there were anymore. But T'mana was looking at the thing in her hand. It was a sticker with the name of a band and a date. Today's date.

"Oh my gosh." She whispered. He turned to her to see what was the matter.

"What?"

"The concert." She said. "It's tonight." She looked up at him accusingly. The concert that they had been talking about. It was the one thing since T'mana had met him that seemed to make him happy. That made him seem alive. And he was missing it. He looked back at her with that stoic face and said nothing.

"Can you get back in?" She asked.

"No. They lock down once the band starts playing. You can leave but you can't get back in." He spoke dispassionately and continued to peruse her apartment. And in that moment, it hit her like a ton of bricks. Every time she had needed someone lately, he had been there. The pillow in the car, Donnie calling to check on her by his suggestion, and tonight. Her own boyfriend couldn't be bothered to leave a party, but Leo had left something he had been waiting for years for because…

"Why?" She asked. "You didn't even know what I wanted…you didn't even ask! You just…came. I mean, it could have been something stupid that could have waited! I'm so sorry!" He turned to look at her and saw she was very upset.

"It's just a concert." He said softly. But she heard the rest in her head, what he didn't say out loud: you're more important. It moved something in her and broke her heart at the same time. Maybe she had misread his distance? Looking back, she recalled every time he had engaged her and it was always to give her comfort if only in his stoic, unmoving way.

"Well…maybe it's playing live on TV?" She walked over to the coffee table and picked up the remote, then handed it to him. "Try to find it, okay? I'll be right back." She grabbed her phone and left the room for a moment.

Leo was baffled. He didn't really want to watch the concert on TV. The point of a concert was to _be_ there. To feel the music in your bones and blow your ears out so they ring for a day or two after. It's about being in a crowded room with people who love the music the same way you do and for that moment that's all that exists. You didn't get that by watching TV. But he obliged and did find that it was playing. She came back out and sat on the couch, indicating that he should do so as well.

"So…" She began. "Why didn't you ask what I wanted? I mean…what if I just needed Don to fix something for me?" He kept his eyes on the TV.

"No. I could tell you were upset."

"You could?"

"Yeah. Your voice gave it away." He looked at her. "Nervous about the new place?" She blushed.

"Something about tonight." She admitted. "Sorry." He looked away, back to the TV.

"Don't be." He didn't even comment that she had been moved in for almost two months. They watched the concert in silence for a while and then the doorbell rang. Leo was on his feet in a flash.

"It's okay." She said. "Expected." She went to the door and then turned to tell him to get out of sight, but he was already gone. She hoped he hadn't left for real.

"$22.95." The pizza deliveryman said. She handed him $27 and told him to keep the change. She closed the door and set the pizza on the coffee table. Leo came out and saw the pizza. She was already at the fridge and pulling out bottles.

"What…?" He began.

"Well…it's the least I can do. Feed you, right?" She tossed him a bottle. He looked at it. Beer. And good beer. Not the cheap stuff. He raised an eye ridge at her. She was already on the couch, her beer popped and smoking. She took a long swig and then grabbed the remote and turned the volume way up. "My neighbors are gone." She talk-shouted. He stared, not knowing what to make of this new situation. She raised her bottle and gestured to his. "Come on." She coaxed. "Live a little." She took another healthy swallow and then grabbed a slice of pizza.

He popped the beer top, but didn't drink. Instead, he grabbed a piece of pizza as he set his beer down. She watched him, a small smile on her face. She came over to sit by him and he scooted to make more room between them.

"Still on duty, officer?" She asked.

"Always." He answered. She grabbed his beer, no longer smiling and held it to him.

"Everyone deserves a night off. You were planning on enjoying the concert tonight, right? So enjoy it!" He looked at the beer as if it were a challenge. He could almost hear Raph behind him shouting 'chug it, chug it, chug it.' One night. One night in two years. He was allowed that, wasn't he? Almost in defiance, he grabbed the beer and took a swig. T'mana smiled and patted him on the shell.

They settled into eat-drink mode. But when they were finished with the pizza, they just sat watching the concert. She could see Leo's foot tapping. So T'mana did something she would not have done without assistance from the four beers she had guzzled down in a very short period of time. She wasn't slur-drunk, but very confident and free. The next song was one she knew, so she stood up and began to sing along with it. Leo stared at her, as he had been doing all night it seems because she was acting very unusual. Not in a bad way, just unexpected. But he couldn't help but smile because she couldn't carry a tune to save her soul. Yet here she was, singing along and laughing and dancing. By herself. But soon, she realized this, too and came over to drag Leo up. He resisted, of course. But the next song that they played was his favorite and it seemed to be one T'mana knew, too. So he started to sing along quietly, and then T'mana smiled so brightly, excited that he was joining her, that he started to belt out the words, too. Soon, they were singing along to the chorus and laughing when the other missed the words. At the height of his drunken euphoria, he got up on the couch's edge and sang along pretending that his beer bottle was a microphone. T'mana clapped and hooted as a devoted fan would.

It did her heart so much good to see Leo in such an energized mood. And to know that she had brought him to it. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so happy. The concert was ending now and Leo collapsed into the couch and so did she. She turned down the volume, then noticed all the bottles and napkins on her coffee table. She began to clear them. Leo sat up and started to help her.

"You can just set them on the counter, the bottles. I haven't gotten a recycling bin just yet." She saw, with pleasure, that he lined them up in even rows. Then they both sat on the couch and an awkward silence fell. After five minutes of nothingness and T'mana glancing at the clock to see that it was almost one in the morning, Leo stood, taking her glance as a subtle hint for him to remove himself from her home.

"Want to watch some TV?" T'mana asked abruptly. She didn't want him to leave. She didn't want the night to end. It was so nice having him there and she hadn't been afraid in hours.

"Sure." He said, surprised. "Can I use your uh…"

"Oh, yeah. It's the second door on the left." She pointed down the hall. She found a channel that was playing Wings. A 90s TV show that she grew up watching.

"Oh, I used to love this show." Leo said, when he returned. "It was the one thing Donnie and I would watch together. He usually preferred science fiction stuff, but he liked the flying stuff, too."

"Yeah. Lot of good characters, too."

* * *

She woke quietly and found herself leaning on Leo with her head on his plastron. She didn't move. His arm was around her and his feet were stretched out onto the coffee table. His head was back and his mouth hung open slightly. But no snoring. She glanced at the clock without moving her head and saw that it was only 4:30 am, so she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

She awoke again with a slight jerk and gasp, this time waking Leo.

"You okay?" He asked in a sleep voice that meant he wasn't completely coherent yet. But still she was the first thing he asked about. That was nice. She sat up.

"Fine." She said. He stretched and looked at her.

"You don't seem fine." He waited a moment. "Still dreaming?" She nodded her head.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." He smiled a little.

"I don't sleep. I rest my eyes." She stood up and went to the kitchen to make coffee. He followed her, feeling that she was distraught and trying to get her mind off of it. "Is it the same dream?" She stopped and set a mug down.

"Yes and no. Would you like tea or coffee?"

"What do you mean, yes and no?"

"I mean…it's the same, but different. I…watch him die every night. Sometimes two or three times. Coffee, then?"

"T'mana…"

"It starts off the same. In the alleyway." She gave up trying to distract herself. "The gunman fires and the man collapses. I see every detail. But then, sometimes, the gunman turns his gun on me. That's the best one. Because it's quick. But usually, he just chases me. I end up in the sewer. But sometimes Raph doesn't come. And the gunman …takes his time. But then, sometimes he does come and I fall on you, like I did. And when Raph drags him in, he's still alive. And he kills all of you first, leaving me for last…and he…takes his time…" Her hand was shaking as she tried to put the coffee grounds in the maker. "But look!" She said, pointing at the clock. "It's nine o'clock. That means I slept for seven hours. Seven! I only sleep two hours at a time on a good night and usually only get about four a night. But seven! And only one dream…just one."

He wanted to wrap his arms around her and tell her that nothing and no one would ever hurt her again. But he didn't. He wouldn't. Instead, he pulled away.

"They'll fade." He lied. "Everything gets better with time." He touched her hand. "I'm sure Guy and your mother will help you through it. But I should go. My brothers will be wondering where I am. I did have a great time. I think it's the best concert I've been to." She smiled. Coming from Leo, that was quite a compliment and she couldn't help but take it to heart.

"I'm glad. It was nice to see you smile so much. You're always the fierce warrior. It's okay to let your guard down."

"I can't do that. I-"

"It's okay. I know. I remember who you remind me of." She said. He raised an eye ridge.

"I remind you of someone?"

"Not a real someone. But a legend."

"I remind you of a legend?"

"Yes. My mother told it to me when I was very young, I had forgotten it until now." She saw that his curiosity was peaked and decided to delve into the tale. "See, I'm Lakota Sioux. Oglala to be exact. And we have a legend that my people have told for hundreds of years. My mother told it to me. She wanted me to remember where I came from." She fingered her medicine bag and pulled it out of her pocket. She continued. "There was once a turtle chief who became angry with the human tribes. The humans were killing too many of his people and he had to put a stop to it. So one day, he gathered his warriors and decided to go on the warpath. He convinced his warriors because they knew they had to protect themselves and keep their families safe. So the turtle chief led his war party to the humans. Upon seeing the turtles, the humans ran to grab them. Thinking to use their shells and bones for jewelry and their bodies for soup.

Both sides fought bravely, but the human chief ended up triumphing and capturing the war party. Out of respect for the turtle chief, the human chief allowed a trial to be set. One human warrior cried that the turtles ought to be burned. The turtle chief said he would proudly do so. The human chief decided that the turtles would want this in order to scatter the ash to burn the humans. Another human suggested boiling. The turtle chief said he would be proud to do so. But the human chief knew the turtles would spatter the scalding water on them, so he declined this. Another human cried out that they should all be drowned. At this, the warrior turtle begged and pleaded for his life and his tribe. The human chief, thinking himself mighty, knew he had found the punishment that the turtle finally feared.

So they were all tossed into the river to drown, and in this way the turtle chief saved his tribe as they all swam away to safety on the other side of the river bank." She fell silent. "See…you're the turtle chief from the story. You will do anything to protect your family. Go to war, outsmart your enemy or even appear a coward. But you will always be the chief. Never letting your guard down even when it may seem hopeless. And seeing anyone outside your tribe as a threat." She paused letting her words sink in. "I think you're very brave and very smart. I admire and respect you, but I understand if you can't feel the same way." She held out her hand.

He stared at her hand. Not knowing what to think. He was very flattered that she had compared him to such a story, but she was giving him far more credit than was due. And she kept getting too close. He kept letting her in. He enjoyed her company more than was good for him. The best thing to do, as he had been saying to himself this whole time, was to not see her anymore. Unfortunately, with her connection to Don, she kept cropping up. And he kept putting himself in her path. He wanted her. The way a child wants a toy. To have something for himself for once. But it couldn't work. She couldn't know him. At least this way…she admired him. He had to stop it now. So he took her hand.

"It isn't personal." He said.

"I know." They released hands. "I'll stop coming around. I promise. I…don't want to bother you." He wanted to tell her she wasn't a bother, but he didn't.

"I would appreciate the distance. But if you are ever truly in danger, you can call us for help." He turned and opened the window door and stepped out.

"Thank you, Brother Turtle." She said softly, not knowing that Leo heard it as he dropped down. Giving him something else to ponder.


	5. Chapter 5

It had been several months since the night of the concert and T'mana felt like a new woman. At first, she wallowed in sorrow at the loss of her unusual friendship with the turtles. But she understood. Secrecy was how they survived. Knowing someone on the surface would put them in danger and she didn't want that. Deep in the back of her brain, her jealous and angry child persona railed against the fact that April was a human friend and they didn't kick her to the curb. But T'mana the adult had triumphed and began to delve into her work more deeply than before.

Sandra Grey of Grey Biologics Incorporated noticed the sudden zeal and rewarded T'mana for it with a promotion to be her Executive Personal Assistant. T'mana accepted it gratefully and began to understand that Executive Assistant meant personal servant. However, Sandra Grey was an appreciative and kind master. She didn't tolerate second mistakes, but she was always patient and understanding with first ones. She loved T'mana's need for order and how she brought it to Sandra's chaotic life. Changing appointments, making flights, arranging for rental cars, buying gifts for business affiliates and keeping the schedules for all charity and business events were but a handful of the items T'mana regulated for Sandra. This was exactly what T'mana needed. A task to completely focus on so she could forget that she was now alone in New York. First the turtles, then Guy. She called her mother fairly often to remind herself that there was at least one other living person that cared if T'mana existed. Since she was naturally inhibited, she did not make friends very easily. And her fast rise at her new company did not earn her many fans either. As a result, she had made no new friends through all the months since she moved to New York.

T'mana pushed open the door and burst into Sandra Grey's office like she owned it. She was flipping through files and listing off items as she went.

"The Curran group meeting was switched to five tomorrow and the Sheehan Crew cancelled. I'm working to reschedule it before the Habitat launch next week. Your lawyer called regarding Mr. Swenson and recommended a swift return call to discuss…details." T'mana raised an eyebrow. Sandra sighed.

"That bastard." She whispered. "He just won't give up. We weren't even married! What exactly does he think he's entitled to?"

"Men." T'mana growled as she flipped another file folder up.

"Oh, my. T'mana, dear, is that bitterness I detect?" T'mana snapped her head up.

"I'm so sorry, Ms. Grey! Forgive me!" T'mana usually kept it business polite with her boss. Sandra chuckled good-naturedly. They were about the same age, but Sandra had made her way in the world early. She could be considered pretty by some, but most men would say that the money certainly helped. Sandra was a biologist at heart that had the mind of an economist. She had great business sense. As a result, her inherited money allowed for her to play the stocks and bonds game quite successfully and she used her immense earnings to fund her unusual hobbies. Namely, endangered species. Which was how T'mana had come to be employed by Sandra. T'mana had applied at Grey Biologics and it was what prompted her initial move to New York. T'mana learned that Sandra had a real yen for the endangered. But at the moment, Sandra wished that Mr. Swenson was endangered.

"Don't apologize! Jack wants to sue me for two million dollars because he shagged me a few times." Sandra set her coffee mug on her expansive desk. "He wasn't even good. If he was, I might have thought about throwing him a bone for the fond memories, but …well…there it is." She looked up at T'mana to see her poor assistant slack jawed with shock. Sandra laughed. "But you seem to have men problems, too. Care to set down your burden?" Sandra leaned back in her chair, chewing a pen. She looked like she was a college drop out. Her dirty blonde or pale brown hair was pushed back into a sloppy ponytail and her bangs fell into her brown cow eyes. She wore a sweatshirt that was three sizes too big and it even had some kind of grease stain on the shoulder. She wore tight leggings and socks, no shoes. She would change when she left, she always did. Only T'mana was admitted entrance into Sandra's office. No one else saw her this way. For a moment, T'mana considered sharing and then remembered where she was and that Sandra was her boss.

"Your contractor called. Twice. She wants to know if you want access from certain areas for the new habitat she's building for you. She requested a meeting. I marked the date in your-"

"Come on, T'mana. You know all my dirty little secrets. Don't you have even _one_? What man made you say 'men', like you did?" T'mana sighed. She took a seat and set the folders on the desk as if to organize them. She didn't really want to do this, but she knew that Sandra, despite her rough outward demeanor was a social creature that required trust and closeness. This wasn't the first time Sandra had tried to nudge her way into T'mana's personal circle. T'mana, however, wasn't offended. She didn't get the feeling that Sandra was butting in because she needed to have control. She got the feeling that it was because Sandra wanted the openness to go both ways. Sharing was not easy for T'mana, but she knew sometimes it had to be done. Maybe this would help Sandra understand why T'mana was so resistant to intimacy even in the work place.

"His name was Michael Gaius, but I called him Guy." T'mana kept fiddling with the folders, she was now alphabetizing them. "He just…wasn't that into me."

"How come you think that?" Sandra had sat up and leaned on the desk, making her more approachable and receptive. T'mana shrugged.

"Something…happened. And I needed him to be there, but he wasn't. Then when I looked back, I realized he never was there to begin with." T'mana shrugged again.

"Bastard." Sandra whispered. "All men are bastards. I bet your guy is just fine and dandy with some other woman, just like that damn Swenson and look at what they left behind. And we're suffering for it. How is that fair?"

"It isn't." T'mana mumbled and began to organize the folders by date instead. Sandra put her hand on the folders to stop the madness.

"What happened?" Sandra asked.

"What?"

"You said 'something happened and you needed him to be there.' What happened?" T'mana took a deep breath, expelled and said:

"I don't want to talk about it."

"That usually means you should. That's what my shrink always says. And I pay her two hundred dollars an hour, so she should know. Right?" T'mana smiled. "So…what happened? C'mon. We're just two girls right now. I'm off the clock and so are you."

"I'm never off the clock." T'mana joked.

"And I love you for it. You know, you're the only assistant I've kept this long? They never seem to last…" Sandra faded away in thought. "But…I will not be distracted. What, my dear friend, happened?" T'mana fluttered at the word 'friend'. She had had friends in the past, but they usually didn't go very deep. T'mana was not a very attentive friend. She was so wrapped up in her own life that she would forget to keep in touch with her friends. By the time she remembered, they were usually gone or the friendship was beyond salvaging because of her negligence. Sometimes T'mana wondered if she had a personality disorder in addition to her borderline OCD.

"I…it's complicated."

"I'm sure I can keep up."

"It's long and involved…"

"I've got time and a whole cup of coffee right here." T'mana stared, unable to think of another deflection.

"I…saw someone get shot." She cleared her throat nervously. "Then the gunman tried to get me." Sandra paled in response. Of all the things she had imagined, this had not been one of them.

"Oh my God." Sandra whispered. "But you're okay, obviously. I mean, you survived and all." T'mana nodded.

"Yes, but only because I got lucky. I ran into some people and they helped me. If I hadn't…" T'mana let her thought drift into silence. "But anyway, that's what happened and Guy, he didn't understand that I needed to feel…"

"Safe." Sandra supplied.

"Yes. Safe. Instead he went to parties and clubs and didn't take me with."

"Like I said. Bastards. But, jeez, I mean that's really scary. You know, I have a defense trainer. You should take some classes from him. See, lots of people try to get at me. Not that I'm vain you understand, but I have money and people want my money. So…they try to get my money in different ways. Some more clever than others, unlike the lackluster Mr. Swenson, but some have gotten violent in the past." It was T'mana's turn to get wide eyed with surprise.

"Really?" T'mana asked. Sandra nodded.

"Yeah. But I have absolutely no sense of balance, rhythm or body movement, so Jacques had his work cut out for him. But now, I can take down someone three times my bodyweight because of some tricks he taught me. Since you schedule all my appointments you can schedule yourself in, too. Oh and tell him it's under the work program. He'll know what to do."

"Work program?"

"Yeah. Consider it as part of your health insurance, covered by your employer."

* * *

She had several lessons with Jacques and found that she actually had a bit of talent for defense. Who knew? She had taken dance in high school and college and a lot of it was just coordination and simple mathematics. She learned the moves and remembered them like choreography for a dance routine. If your partner comes at you with this move, counter with this move, et cetera. But Jacques also taught her how to think defensively. How to not get trapped by making poor choices and how to get out of bad scenarios where there doesn't seem to be a winning option.

"Running," Jacques was fond of saying. "Is often the wisest thing to do. Run away from the weapon, run toward a crowd or help. What I teach you, is when running is not an option. I do not want you to behave like a cornered animal that either dies from fear or aggression. Think small." He said that a lot too. "Think small. When you make small goals, you feel more successful and then you feel you can win. Instead of escape safely, try to knock your attacker off balance for a moment. Each victory gets you closer to safety."

Every time she met with Jacques, she learned something new and she felt compelled to thank Sandra for telling her. While T'mana didn't frequent alleyways, she was no longer terrified to stay home alone. She had classes three nights a week with him and she left them sweaty and occasionally bruised. "Better bruised than abused." He would say as he shook her hand to call it a night. Months passed in this way and T'mana found herself not only Sandra's personal assistant, but something more that T'mana would consider a close, dear friend.

T'mana was sitting down to a nice tilapia dinner when her cell phone rang. The ring tone was the chorus to Jay-Z's Brooklyn We Go Hard. Sandra was from Brooklyn. The Caller ID she had programmed in was 'ANSWER ME' instead of Sandra's name. Just a little joke. T'mana sighed.

"Good evening, Ms. Grey." T'mana answered politely.

"Ah , cram it, T. Sorry to call. You're probably eating now, right?"

"Not yet."

"Damn, sorry about that. Time zones mess with me when I go abroad. Look, I got a lead from Doctor Baxter Stockman regarding a very rare specimen. I can't get back for another few days or so, but I'd like you check it out for me. Can you do that?"

"Certainly. Is it going to be like the Windsor Foundation for that Albatross I looked at?"

"Just follow the same process. You knocked it out of the park on that one. You know what I need and what I'm willing to pay. You can speak for me."

"What?"

"I trust you. If you think it's not for me, then turn it down. If you think I'll want to take it, find the mated pair, then I want you to purchase. You know all the transaction rules. You'll be fine. Stockman says that this is one I don't want to miss. I'm inclined to believe him. I've worked with him in the past and he's always come through. He's a little…unorthodox, though. Actually, he's the one I got the two _hyaena barbara_ from."

"Really? That was before my employment with you, but didn't you successfully breed that species of hyena away from extinction?"

"Yes, I did. Caught a lot of flack for it, too. People think hyenas are cruel scavengers. But they actually have a very caring social dynamic within their pack." Sandra sighed. "Animals are more civilized than we are."

"Yes." T'mana agreed, her thoughts immediately flicking to a certain turtle that certainly fit that description. She was shocked that she thought of Leo instead of any of the other brothers first. After all these months, his stoic strong personality was still under her skin. And it was his face she conjured when she considered strength and discipline. Like when she was feeling particularly beat up during a session with Jacques, she would imagine Leo getting back up and not giving up.

"So, you'll do this?"

"Of course. It's my job to do what you ask me to." T'mana joked.

"Not this." Sandra disagreed seriously. "This is my hobby, T. I'm asking as a friend, not your boss. So you can say 'no' and I won't fire you or hold it against you."

"Then I'm happy to help out my friend."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. Besides, it could be interesting to see what this specimen is."

* * *

T'mana had made the appointment with Doctor Stockman's assistant right away the following morning. Sandra had already alerted Stockman that T'mana would be coming in her stead to look things over. She was greeted with great pomp.

"Ms. Callahan, such a pleasure to meet you!" Stockman simpered as he took her hand and shook it with two of his hands. "I hope Ms. Grey is in good health?"

"Yes. She's well. Just on the other side of the world. She wanted me to check this for her since she couldn't leave her current obligation."

"Of course. Ms. Grey is in high demand these days. But of course you know that, being her secretary and all."

"Personal assistant." T'mana corrected. "Yes, I am very much aware of the demands for Ms. Grey's time. Shall we?"

"Yes, but I must warn you, it may take you for a bit of a surprise. It will be unlike anything you have ever seen."

"I'm awash in anticipation, Doctor. But I'm sure I'll be able to handle it." Stockman grinned knowingly at her and opened a door. They had been walking through several different corridors before finding this room. She stepped in and Stockman followed her. Immediately, her eyes fell upon metal bars that segregated a partitioned cell. Within that cell was a very defeated and morose Leonardo.

"Shocking, isn't it?" Stockman said, clearly enjoying her response. He had no way of knowing that she was looking at her friend rather than an unusual specimen. Leo was not wearing his blue mask or any gear, but she could tell it was him. She knew the curve of his cheek and the color of his skin. He looked up at her a long moment from across the room. He did not acknowledge her or speak, but she could sense that he felt betrayed and that he was not at all surprised to see her there.

"It is." She recovered and put on a bored face. She turned to Stockman. "This is terribly juvenal, Doctor Stockman. A man dressed in a turtle suit?" She huffed indignantly. "Really, you must think I'm a fool. Ms. Grey will not look too kindly on this." She turned on her heel ready to leave and try to figure out what to do.

"Wait!" Stockman blocked her exit, clearly worried. He shoved a manila folder into her hands. "Just look. Look at that."

"Dr. Stockman…this is impossible-"

"Improbable." Stockman corrected. "But clearly possible. Indulge me. Look at the data." T'mana had no choice but to open the folder and peruse its contents. She allowed an eyebrow to rise as if she were admitting Stockman could be right. She held out the folder to him.

"Tampered?" She asked.

"Of course not." Stockman sputtered. "That type of data cannot be falsified. And even you can see that it has merit. Ms. Grey will be most pleased, I think."

"You're missing data." T'mana accused. He flipped through the folder.

"What data?"

"Habitat information, dietary needs, tendencies toward illness and treatment, behavioral studies…all missing. How exactly are we supposed to care for it when you only provide biological data?" T'mana shook her head. "I'm quite disturbed this information is not included as it is required for all exotic animal transactions as you well know, having worked with Ms. Grey before."

"This creature is different than your standard exotic." Stockman defended. "Surely, you can see that?" He was exasperated now. T'mana looked over at Leo, partially to show her 'interest' to Stockman and partially to see how Leo was responding to this conversation about him as a mere animal.

"If the data is indeed correct and this is a legitimate…unique creature, then my boss still would not be interested. Doctor Stockman, Ms. Grey breeds creatures from extinction. She must have a mated pair. Do you see the dilemma?" She waited a moment. "I'm sorry, Dr. Stockman. I don't think we are interested."

"There are others." He blurted. T'mana froze. He saw he had her attention and continued. "Three others. I just need to get my hands on them." He fumbled for a moment. "Red tape, you know. Bureaucracy." He chuckled lightly.

"So you have others in custody, you are just waiting for them to get to this facility?"

"Yes." Stockman said firmly. She looked at Leo.

"Is that so?" She said. Leo blinked once. Twice. Message received. Stockman did not have the others. She walked over to the cage where Leo was and perused him up and down as if she were reconsidering. "What genders?" She asked. When Stockman did not answer right away, she turned to look at him. "Gender, Doctor?" She knew he could only answer male and that would release her from this disgraceful conversation.

"Well…we haven't located any reproductive organs as of yet, but if Ms. Grey would agree to fund-" She stared at him a moment, stunned by the lie and regained her composure with little hesitation.

"No gender? Dr. Stockman, this is highly irregular."

"As I say, if Ms. Grey would fund this project, I'm sure we could find a way for them to breed. Imagine what we could learn! The possibilities are endless!" T'mana became physically ill the way Stockman spoke. 'Find a way?' She fully believed that he would use immoral ways to get what he needed. And now T'mana was afraid that Stockman would experiment on Leo before she could think of a way to get him out. T'mana looked at Leo again, and then tapped the glass partition.

"Is it skiddish? Or aggressive?" She asked. Leo didn't move, but he looked away from her. He was clearly ashamed at his situation and she was exacerbating it by playing the part she was. It seemed she was playing it well enough for Leo to believe it and this saddened T'mana.

"It was aggressive at first, but now seems to have settled."

"Drugs?"

"No, it's naturally subdued now."

"There is still the matter of the missing data. " T'mana resumed.

"Well…there is much we don't know about this creature…" Stockman hedged.

"And yet, you should at the very least have habitat information. Where was it captured?" She knew full well where he was captured, but knew that Stockman could not say New York City.

"Well…" He hesitated.

"How long until the other specimens are in custody at this facility?"

"Well, it could be a week…or months…as I say…red tape."

"It sounds rather like you don't have them in custody at all yet, Doctor. And with the missing information…"

"I'll get you the missing data tonight. Will Ms. Grey fund us?" Stockman was losing patience.

"I'm not sure about funding but, it is…fascinating. I would hate for Ms. Grey to miss out on such an exciting opportunity. She may be interested in purchasing the creature outright from you."

"That could be arranged…" Stockman offered. "Ms. Grey is an excellent businesswoman."

"Yes. Have you any other bids from other interested parties?"

"No…I have given Ms. Grey first offer."

"Excellent. Let's keep it that way, Doctor. I would hate for your good working relationship to be damaged by disloyalty."

"Of course! I'll have the information to you tonight."

"Then I'll peruse it and present it to Ms. Grey." She turned to Stockman with her hand outstretched. "Thank you for an…unusual evening, Doctor. I look forward to meeting with you again." He shook her hand eagerly.

"Yes, yes! Always a pleasure to work with Ms. Grey and company!" She left swiftly wondering what she was going to do and if it would be in time to help Leo.


	6. Chapter 6

After the rather disturbing meeting with Doctor Stockman, T'mana decided on a course of action. She had no qualms about calling Sandra and letting her know how her meeting with Stockman went, though she left out a few details.

"Grey." Came the reply after two rings.

"It's T." T'mana said.

"Oh, hello, T!" Sandra gushed. "Do I have a new pet?" She laughed.

"Well, not yet. There are some concerns that I have."

"What concerns?" Sandra shed her laughter and became all business.

"I think there's something fishy at this lab. I can't say for certain, Sandra, but I think they may be abusing or experimenting on animals there. Genetic experimentation. I don't have any actual proof…but there were unusual things." T'mana explained about the missing data and Stockman's aloofness and his desperation for her money to fund him. T'mana paused and wondered if she had gone too far. Sandra had, after all, worked with Stockman in the past.

"Yes…that is not entirely surprising. I've had my suspicions as well." Sandra sighed. "Okay…so what was the unique animal he had to show you?"

"I don't know. It was different, but it was very turtle-like."

"You don't know? You mean Stockman couldn't tell you what it was? He couldn't classify the species?"

"That is what I'm saying. And that is what he wants you to know. He wants you to fund him so he can find these things out. He also said there were others that he was trying to get his hands on. He said he didn't know their genders but insinuated he could find a way to breed them if he had the money." T'mana said wryly.

"Hmmm. This concerns me. I want you to purchase the creature. Get it out of there. Then we'll figure out how to shut Stockman down. But I don't want him to know. Play it cool, okay Tim?"

"Cool…right. I'll keep you posted on my status. I think I'll go back to him tomorrow. You don't think that's too eager, do you? I don't want that creature there too much longer, but I also don't want to spoil the deal…I'm not exactly the poker player type."

"Don't I know it! Your honesty and forthrightness is why you still work for me. I can't stand yes men. Or yes women. But call me as soon as the transaction is done. I'll call Stockman to grease the wheels early tomorrow and let him know to expect you."

"Yes, ma'am." T'mana said.

"Ma'am me one more time, T'mana and you'll be doing my laundry this weekend. I'm babysitting three gorillas and six orangutans."

"I would be happy to do that for you…ma'am." T'mana smiled as Sandra barked out a laugh.

"Yes…I believe you would. You are one clean anal OCD P.A. Thank God for you. Call me when you're done with Stockman. Grey out." T'mana hung up the phone pleased that she had Sandra's backing. She could say the creature died and then she wouldn't have to involve Sandra with the turtles. Everyone would win. Stockman would get his money and be none the wiser that anyone was on to his cruel practices, Leo would be free and her boss could take Stockman out safely from a distance. This would work. She just hoped tomorrow wasn't too late.

* * *

T'mana didn't sleep at all. She knew she probably should have called Don. Asked for his help, but she didn't want to endanger any of the other turtles. Stockman was clearly up to no good and definitely wanted the rest of Leo's brothers. She would be foolish to lead them right to him just because it would make her feel better. She went over what she would do in her head. Rehearsed it so it sounded practical.

She got ready and scheduled the meeting with Stockman. He was expecting her as Sandra did give him a call to give her approval of the purchase. She walked in and was led to the same room where Leo had been caged before.

"So glad you could come." Stockman said from behind her. T'mana had just enough time to notice that the cage was empty when a cloth covered her mouth and she smelled fumes. The room swam and her legs melted.

When she woke up, which was only a few minutes later unbeknownst to her, she was in the room Leo had been in. Stockman was leering at her beyond the glass.

"What are you doing?" T'mana asked. Panic was starting to rise as she became more alert. She was caged by a man that had no morals. This would not end well.

"Well…I know you don't think much of me. If you did, you would have never come back. I could tell you recognized the creature and that it recognized you. So…you're going to disappear. I'll tell Ms. Grey you never showed for your appointment. She'll purchase the creature and search for you. But she'll never find you and I'll win. Now," He waved for a man behind him to come forward. "Let's see what I can make of you." He grinned darkly and T'mana moved away from the bars. Her purse was gone and she was searching for something to use as a weapon. She was wearing a business pants suit, so no help there. The cage door opened and a man with a very large syringe approached her warily.

"Stop." T'mana demanded. "What do you think you're doing?" The man was in the cage now. Her training kicked in. Jacques always told her not to think about what was at stake. Just keep small goals and you'll make it through, he said. So her goal was to stop the man with the syringe. She thought quickly about how she could do that. She grabbed at his jacket, hoping to pull him off balance, but he didn't and it just brought her attacker closer. He injected the syringe in her neck and pressed the plunger.

"No!" She screamed, shocked with the sudden pain and burning sensation it brought. Her foot slipped as she fell out of her pump and went against the wall, clutching her neck. The needle was now out, but she had an idea. She stumbled down, making it look like it was because she was injured and grabbed her high heel shoe. She swung it up full force and hit the needle man in the face. She heard a sickening squishing sound and she figured it must have found its mark in his eye, but she was pushing him back now that he was distracted and he fell backwards onto Stockman. She ran out and took several turns to lose her pursuers. She removed her other shoe to help speed things along and make her more silent in her stockinged feet. She lost count how many turns she made and she now slowed, confident that they were no longer quick on her heels.

She changed to stealth rather than speed. She ducked behind a few corners when she saw people running in hallways. She hid in a few empty rooms to avoid being caught until she slipped into another room and her foot found a baseball bat on the floor. It rolled a little, making a sound and drawing the attention of the guard at the cage that was in the room. In the cage were Leo and a human man. The man was rubbing his head and had a cut on his shoulder, clearly he had just been shoved into the cell.

The guard was staring at her and she eyed the baseball bat. He smiled when he saw what she was looking at. He nodded and raised his sword as he stepped away from the cage. His sword looked a lot like Leo's with a slight curvature to it. T'mana removed her hand from her neck. She had covered the puncture wound to try to slow the bleeding because it had been injected violently, but now bent to grab the bat slowly, never taking her eyes off the guard.

"T'mana, no!" Leo cried desperately, realizing what she was going to do.

"You know her?" The man in the cage asked.

T'mana shut out their voices. She couldn't think about them now or what would happen if she failed. She only wanted to take out the guard. She wanted to take him out at the knees and she saw how she was going to do it. She raised the bat and held it like she was ready at the plate, then she ran full force at the guard. He had his sword ready to swing and was grinning at her stupidity. That was good. She wanted him to underestimate her. As he was about to swing, she dropped down and slid under his sword as if she were stealing home base. She knelt up quickly as she cleared the blade and turned, swinging the bat and crippling his knees from behind. In the same motion, using the inertia from her swing, she stood, swung again and hit him in the temple. He went down and didn't move. She dropped down, felt for a pulse and found one. He wasn't dead, but he wouldn't be getting up for a while.

She found the keys on his belt, but they were clipped and she couldn't figure out how to get them off. She could hear Leo, but tuned him out. She had to focus. But then she heard a disturbing sound that distracted her. A sharp metallic sound. Her head whipped up and she saw another guard standing in the entryway also armed with a sword, dragging teasingly on the floor to get her attention.

T'mana's heart pounded. She supposed she was lucky it was just one other guard. But it did give her an idea that she felt ridiculous for not thinking of before. She picked up the unconscious man's sword. It was light, but the handle was heavy. Weighted for balance. She held it out and pointed it at the new guard. Challenging him. She was high on her success with the other guard. She felt empowered. She tried to stuff that down and not get arrogant. So instead, she focused on her enemy's sword and how to make it hers. He stepped up and ran his sword along hers, teasing her. She could hear Leo now.

"Keep a firm, flexible hold on it, T'mana! Lunge with your weight on the balls of your feet!" Her heart lifted. He was helping her! He thought she could do this! And suddenly, she knew she could. She lunged, putting her weight behind it and clashed with the guard's sword. He spun, pushing her back and she knelt, swinging for his knees. He stepped away and swung his sword downward; she raised hers to meet it and blocked his head-splitting blow. She was now crouching and put her other hand on the handle to hold the sword steady against the pressure of the other weapon. The guard grinned and pushed harder. So she gave him what he wanted. She moved her sword and rolled backwards in the same instant. His weapon crashed to the ground at the sudden lack of resistance and she was on her feet swinging at his exposed back. He recovered quickly and turned his arm to lock swords with her again, but she was standing and had more strength behind her than a moment ago. His back was now to the cage. She moved her sword back quickly, teasing him into thinking she was pulling the same trick again and he pulled back to keep his balance. She suddenly pushed him backward as he moved back and slammed him into the cage using his own force against him, where Leo's arms were waiting to hold him there. The guard was immobilized at the shoulders, but his sword was whipping wildly. T'mana used her sword to disarm him and approached him quickly. She slammed her fist into his face with a quick, forceful punch and the man crumpled to the floor unconscious next to the previous guard with his nose trickling blood.

She was too in the moment and didn't watch her back. Another guard plowed into her and knocked her sideways. She fell over the body of the newly collapsed guard and landed flat on her back. The wind was knocked out of her and as she struggled for breath, the guard straddled and pinned her as he grabbed a dagger from his belt. Her eyes went wide, but she couldn't scream. She still couldn't breathe. The dagger slammed home into her left shoulder as she tried to buck him off, blinding her momentarily with pain. She had the fleeting thought that it had been meant for her neck, but she had moved enough to misdirect his aim. She managed a strangled breathless gurgle as she felt two hands wrap around her throat. She flopped under the man like a fish out of water to try to flip him off of her. Her left arm was weak now, stunned from the blade protruding from it. She extended her right hand, searching blindly for the sword she dropped. Her fingertips could brush it, but she couldn't grip it. The hands tightened around her throat and she felt the pressure building in her head from the restricted blood flow.

Leo was on his knees stretching his arm through the bars, trying to push the sword to her, but he couldn't reach it at all. All he could do was watch as T'mana slowly lost breath and blood.

"Leave her, you coward!" He screamed. "You want me! Take me!" Leo pulled at the bars and beat upon them, but to no avail. T'mana could hear his shouts. She regretted failing him. Her eyesight was starting to fade out around the edges. She was losing this fight. She stopped trying to grasp the sword; she stopped trying to hurl the guard off with her body. She lay still, trying to cling to one more moment of life.

"NO!" Leo bellowed, as he saw the fight drain from her. "No, no, no…" His despair moved her. She flicked her eyes over to him. He was still crouched down, holding the bars and was watching her with horrorstricken eyes. They were filled with disbelief. He had thought she could win. T'mana was pleased with that in the back of her mind. But it made her heart hurt. She failed. She let him down. She slowly moved her left hand over her breast to feel her heart beat as it busily pumped her blood onto the floor. As she moved her hand, it found the handle of the knife that impaled her. Her body was shivering slightly from weakness, screaming for air, but she hadn't expended energy for several seconds and she used the minor reserve to wrench the blade from her body and plunge it into her enemy.

The blade sunk deep into the guard's neck and his hands flew from her neck to his own in a desperate attempt to staunch the blood flow. He pulled away, staggering and T'mana held the blade tight, so it pulled out as the man struggled. She drew a ragged, rasping breath to fill her lungs and choked on it. She rolled over onto her side and attempted to find the keys as she tried to remind her lungs how to work properly. Her vision blurrily came back in patches. She took deep breaths and choked on every single one of them. She finally reached the guard with the keys, used the knife to free them from his belt and crawled drunkenly over to the cage. Again, she could hear Leo, but she was so weak, she couldn't really comprehend what he was saying. So she looked behind her to see if there was a guard. She was sure he had tried to warn her before the other guard came, but she had blocked him out. There was no one behind her now.

She went back to the key ring and tried to find the right one. It took several tries, but finally, she got the one that worked and the cage door swung open creakily on its hinges. Immediately, Leo grabbed T'mana by her wrists and pulled on them gently, but firmly as if to get her attention.

"Are you okay?" He asked. She stared at him. He must have been asking that before, but she couldn't follow what he had been saying. She was still a little foggy, but she didn't want to be a burden. So she ignored his question.

"Let's get out of here." She coughed. The man came out of the cage.

"This is Casey." Leo said. "Casey, take point."

"You got it, Leo." Casey stepped forward and picked up the bat. He swung once and smiled. "I'm ready now." Leo nodded. He bent and grabbed up the two swords that were discarded from the fight. T'mana still held the dagger with a death grip in her left hand.

"Follow Casey." He told T'mana. "I'll be right behind you." He gripped her good shoulder firmly and nodded. She blinked at him. He was trying to calm her and build her up at the same time. His confidence in her was flattering. If she were in her right mind, she probably would have smiled shyly and blushed. But she wasn't, so she turned and followed Casey into the hallway, uncertain if she would make it out alive, but confident that at least the other two would.

* * *

Escaping Stockman's lab the second time was far easier for T'mana than the first time had been. That's not to say she wasn't attacked, because she was. They all were. But Casey and Leo, fully armed with weapons and purpose, made sure she was not harmed again. She just leaned against the wall bleeding, trying to stay conscious as they fought their way out. As she was leaning against the wall, her head fuzzy and very heavy on her neck, she wondered why she couldn't just be done already. Hadn't she done enough today? Wasn't getting Leo and Casey out of the cage good enough production for today? All she wanted to do was sleep and worry about getting out tomorrow. Couldn't that happen for her?

"T'mana!" Leo said sharply as he tugged on her arm. Alarm was in his voice rather than anger or annoyance. She opened her eyes and straightened. She had slumped quite a bit, but it could still technically be called standing. "T'mana?" He asked, his eyes roving over her face and to her shoulder.

She was covered in blood. Some was hers, but some was from the guard she stabbed as well. Her skin, normally a golden tawny color, was grey and ashy. The blood spray on her face stood out as if it were electrified. Her eyes were soft and wandering. They couldn't focus. Her hair was matted to her face and her left arm hung limply at her side. Her knuckles white with the tightness of her grip on the knife. Her arm burned and bubbled. But she also felt like there was sand in her skin instead of bone. She was afraid to let go of the knife. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to close her hand again. That this strange sensation in her arm meant she was losing control of her muscles and nerves.

T'mana was terrified and seeing Leo look at her with such worry catapulted her into a panic. But she kept her body calm while her spirit raged. She lifted her good hand and placed it on his shoulder as he had done and squeezed it. He held her gaze and she met it, trying to focus and felt like she did manage to. Finally, Leo nodded once and gently pushed her from the wall to fall in line behind Casey.

After some time, they made it to the sewers and walked. They seemed to walk for miles and miles. She began to wonder if she was actually awake, or if she had finally passed out or even died and she would be forced to walk for all eternity. What a fitting end…since her name meant 'walk'. This thought struck her as extremely funny and she started to giggle. It felt so good to giggle it made her laugh a little harder. She was so tired, the laughter crippled her and she had to lean against the grimy wall. She leaned only for a moment and straightened again, holding her stomach as if that would help.

"T'mana?" Leo asked, apprehension coating the single word. She looked at Leo, who was now standing by reaching out to her as if she were made of glass.

"I'm sorry!" T'mana sputtered between chortles, trying to assuage his concern. "Walking, walking, walking…" T'mana sang and laughed some more. "That's my name and that's what I do!" She laughed harder at her wit and then leaned on Leo. She wiped a tear from her eye. "Walking, walking, walking…Mom would be proud." She giggled freely and then sobered immediately. "Mom." She murmured. Suddenly, her legs could no longer support her and she collapsed. Leo was ready and dove forward to catch her.

"I got you." Leo whispered to her. He shifted her body and grabbed her legs so he could carry her bridal style.

"She okay?" Casey asked, scratching his head, unsure what to do.

"I don't know." Leo looked down and T'mana was staring blankly at the ceiling of the sewer. He wanted to get her to Donnie right away. He knew taking her to a hospital wasn't safe. Stockman would be looking for her now. He nodded for Casey to take the rear and he began to run-walk T'mana back to the lair. They were still pretty far though. Maybe twenty minutes if he really hustled.

"No more walking?" She mumbled.

"No, T'mana. I'll take it from here. Okay?" Leo spoke calmly as if to a child, but not breaking his stride.

"Okay." T'mana seemed to blink with her eyes open. Her eyes were focusing and unfocusing. "Can I be done now?" She begged, her voice was so small pathetic. Leo's heart beat twice as fast and his voice shook just a little when he responded.

"No, T'mana. Just hang on a little longer, okay? We're almost there. You're doing so good. Just stay awake for me. Okay?" Tears filled T'mana's eyes.

"I'll try. I'm so tired. No more…" She whimpered, eyes damp with fear and sadness.

"Stockman you are a dead man." Leo whispered fiercely under his breath. He picked up the pace to a full run. Every once in a while, he would pat her face to bring her around again, but it was getting harder and harder to do. Finally, they arrived at the lair. Casey entered the code to the door and Leo burst in.

"Don!" He shouted. "Don!" He was carrying T'mana to the medical bed. "Med bed, now!" He saw Don bolt out of his room at a sprint and halt when he saw Leo carrying a very bloody person. Leo laid T'mana down on the bed and straightened her out as best he could.

"Leo! What the shell happened?" Don gasped when he saw it was T'mana.

"The Foot." Leo answered darkly.

"I need specifics, Leo." Don demanded, falling into doctor mode. He was pulling out his supplies and heating them for sterilization.

"She was stabbed here." Leo pointed to her shoulder. "I don't know what this is. She had that when she came into the room I was being held in." Don nodded, noting the puncture wound on her neck as Leo pointed to it.

"You okay?" Don asked Leo directly.

"Yes. Make sure she's okay, Don."

"Wash up, Leo."

"What?"

"Wash up, I need you to help keep the wound clean while I look into closing it. Lot of blood here." He muttered, peeling T'mana's shirt up a little. Leo washed immediately and began to do what Don said without hesitation. Leo knew that Casey was outside explaining to the others so he could focus without concern for anyone except the woman who was dying because of him. The woman he had thought betrayed him, but ended up throwing her life on the line for his. Don removed her blazer and felt something hard in her pocket. He pulled out her cell phone and license. Leo frowned.

"Looks like she was afraid of losing her purse again." Don murmured. He flipped her driver's license over. "Yes!" Don hissed. "Casey!" Casey poked his head in after a single beat.

"Yeah?"

"Give this to April. Do you think she can swing getting some blood with the blood type on the license? I think she needs a transfusion." Donnie thrust the card in Casey's face.

"I'll see what I can do." Casey sprinted out the door.

"Transfusion?" Leo whispered. Donnie glanced up at him for a second and went back to T'mana's wound trying to clean it enough to suture it.

"Yes. She's lost a lot of blood. I mean…look." Don paled as he gestured to the sopping clothes.

"Some of that isn't hers." Leo specified. "One of the Foot attacked her and she caught him in the throat with a knife. He bled out a lot. So most of it's probably his."

"What the shell happened to her?" Don intoned, shock lacing his words. T'mana had to stab someone? In the neck?

"It was pretty intense." Leo allowed. "She's a fighter. And you're a healer. She's going to make it, Don. Right?"

"Yes. I need you to keep sponging here, so I can start to suture the wound." Leo did as he was told. By the time Don managed to close the wound and stop the bleeding, Casey swanned in with a small cooler.

"Casey, give me good news." Don warned.

"I got universal blood. They didn't have her type. This should work though, right? April pulled some strings with her doctor friend." Don sighed in relief. He began to rig up the tubing apparatus for the transfusion. He had only done it once before on Casey. The same occasion April made use of her contact for the first time.

"Yes, that'll be fine, Casey. Thank you. Tell April, too." Casey nodded and got out of the way. "Leo, can you check her vitals? I need her blood pressure. Note it on the pad." Leo nodded. He had played nurse for his brothers numerous times. This was a simple task that all of them could perform. Don had made sure he gave them a crash course in case he was ever out of commission to help. After several minutes Leo let him know the task was done.

"Read'em off." Don commanded.

"Temp 94.3. Blood pressure: Systolic 60. Diastolic 45. I can't find a pulse manually." Leo read them off flatly, but was extremely disturbed to have to cope with these numbers. They were losing her. "Don?" Leo allowed a little bit of panic to creep into his voice when his brother didn't acknowledge the reading.

"More of it was her blood that we thought." He kept rigging the apparatus and was getting ready to thread the needle in her arm. "The numbers are written down?"

"Yes." Leo answered firmly.

"Clearly?"

"Yes!" Don began to pump the blood through her.

"I need you to check every five minutes and write it down. Okay?"

"Yes." Leo answered, calmer this time. He had the pressure cuff ready. Don monitored the transfusion and felt T'mana's forehead for her temperature and her neck for a pulse manually. "Ha!" Leo barked after the transfusion was nearly completed.

"Leo?" Don questioned.

"Systolic 65. Diastolic 55. It's going up!"

"Good. Keep it up." Leo nodded. Much more calm now that they were seeing some improvement. "Temp?" Leo took it again.

"Still 94.3."

"That's okay. The temp will be slower. That's expected." Don grabbed another blood packet and began to debate transfusing it as well. He waited a few more readings. They reached a plateau and he decided to go all in. He was rewarded for his choice and saw her numbers steadily climb in all directions. Her temperature was now 96.1 and her blood pressure was 100/70. Much better.

Now he went to work on the puncture wound on her neck. He took some blood cultures since it looked like an injection wound. Then he cleaned it and patched it with a bandage.

Don collapsed in the rolling chair and put his face in his hands out of sheer exhaustion. The stress was draining. Leo joined him, but not before he clapped a hand on his shell.

"Leo…what…happened?" He took a breath. "You didn't come back, we looked everywhere and then you come in with T'mana…covered in blood. What…what happened?" He was just beyond his capacity for patience and he needed answers.

"Let's go tell everyone she seems to be stable. I'm sure they're worried. Then I'll give everyone the rundown."

They stepped out and were flooded by family and friends. Don got everyone to sit down after Leo hugged everyone and assured them that he was okay and that T'mana now seemed to be in stable condition.

"Leo, what gives?" Raph shouted. "You disappear off the face of the earth and come runnin' in here with that chick from like eight months ago and she's covered in blood?"

"Yeah," Mikey jumped in. "Who did that to her? And where were you, bro?" Leo sighed in response.

"I was on patrol, you guys now that. But I spotted some kids getting roughed up in an alleyway so I dropped in to take care of it. It was a trap. They were so young, I didn't think…" Leo sighed at his stupidity. "The purple dragons came out in force and delivered me to Stockman." April gasped.

"That crazy Doctor? The one who messes with mutation?" April was horrified. Don was now far more concerned about the puncture wound than he had been before. He looked at the clock and noted that he had to wait two more hours before the cultures would give him the information he needed.

"Yeah, that's the guy. He drugged me to get me into a cage. When I woke up, I couldn't speak. He said he had numbed my larynx. He said he didn't want me talking and spoiling the funding he was trying to drum up."

"Funding? That sick twist. I'll drum his ass-"

"That's when T'mana came into the picture." Leo cut Raph off. Silence fell. "Apparently her boss collects exotic animals or something and she was there to look at …me."

"But wait, why didn't you set the beacon on your shell cell? You know how to do that." Don was frustrated. He had designed these devices to save his brothers and it aggravated him when they were too proud to use them.

"I didn't want you getting roped into this. Once I knew they were taking me to Stockman, I had my shell cell set to self destruct." Don was fuming.

"That's why I couldn't GPS you. Dang it, Leo. What are you playing at?" He stood and shouted. "I know you're the captain and you want to go down with the ship, but your crew was in another boat! Just blow the whistle for them to get you!" Don ranted. Leo was stunned. His brother rarely got so angry and even more rarely with him.

"Don-"

"I don't want to hear it, Leo. You're the leader blah blah blah. How about you're my brother? How about you're _family_?" Don's voice shook with emotion. Leo stood and grabbed his brother by the shoulders. Mikey and Raph were watching intently, just as shocked at Don's angry outburst.

"Don," Leo said softly. "I _was_ thinking of you. I was thinking that if anything happened to you it would kill me. Stockman wanted all of you, too. I wasn't going to herd you right to him. I hadn't given myself up for dead just yet. Hey," He shook his brother gently to get him to look up. Don finally did. "I'm smart, too. Not as smart as you, Donnie, but I would have come up with something."

"You don't know that." Donnie accused softly. Leo sighed.

"No. I don't. But you would have done the same thing if you were me. And!" Leo continued, because he could see Don getting ready to argue. "I would be just as mad as you are now if you did. But it's done. I'm home." Don sighed and pulled Leo into a hug. Leo returned it happily and Mikey jumped in to bear hug as well. Leo chuckled and caught Raph in the corner of his eye. When Mikey released him, he turned to face Raph. Raph looked him up and down, and then punched him squarely in the shoulder.

"Dumbass." He said. Then gave a quick hug and pushed Leo away quickly. "I'll kill you if you almost die again."

"Understood." Leo said, nodding seriously. They resumed their seats.

"So, she's there, you're there. What next?" Raph asked.

"Well, she sort of said that her boss might be interested in…uh…purchasing me if she had all the right information. Stockman said he'd get it to her and she said she'd present it to her boss." Raph's face darkened.

"What? Does she own a fuckin' zoo? Who does that?"

"The next day I'm moved to a different cell. Then Casey tries to take out the guard watching me."

"How the hell did you find him, Case?" Raph asked, turning to his friend on the couch.

"I dunno. I saw a bunch of purple dragons, I followed them. Then I heard them talking about one of you guys so, I went in."

"What is it with you people?" Don shouted again. "Call for back up! April, tell me you got my back on this." April was looking at Casey with a stunned and now angry expression. She smacked Casey behind the head.

"Yes. What were you thinking? Casey…I know you think you're the terminator and Ty Cobb rolled into one, but you cannot take on a hundred purple dragons on your own!" Her voice escalated until it was so shrill they were covering their ears.

"Sorry, babe! I didn't think I had a lot of time. He'd been missing for a few days already…"

"He's right." Leo jumped in. "They were ready to move fast. We're really going to have to watch ourselves now. He's got a big operation. Not just gadgets and toys anymore. And the Foot to guard his place as well."

"Yeah, see, babe? Leo agrees with me."

"Yeah, not helping. Leo didn't call for help either. And, yes, yes BOTH of you were captured. So…the lesson of the day is….?" April waited.

"Call for help?" Mikey jumped in.

"Yeeees!" April agreed as if speaking to an infant. "Call for help." She flicked Casey on the ear.

"Ow!"

"Thrilling. We're all improvin' our education. So Casey's caught, then what?" Raph interrupted.

"Then about five minutes later, T'mana comes in." Leo said. He could picture it so clearly. She had been running and he knew she had meant to hide in that room. "Her neck was bleeding and she was barefoot. I think she was running and didn't expect to see Casey and I caged let alone the guard on watch." Casey nodded.

"Yeah, she saw my bat, which that snarky Foot made me drop. And he raised his sword and hinted she should pick up the bat."

"What?" Raph choked.

"And she did." Leo said quietly. "She was amazing. She watched for a minute and then rushed him and at the last second ducked and capped his knees from behind."

"Sweet!" Raph said. "Didn't know she had it in her." He looked back at the room as if hoping to see her standing in the doorway ready to bow for her outstanding ass kicking performance.

"Yeah, she took out another guard that came in, but the third one…" Leo fell silent.

"He ghosted her. Came out of nowhere and knocked her down." Casey jumped in. "He…well…stabbed her in the shoulder and then started to choke her."

"Oh my god." April whispered, her hand at her own throat. "How did she get out of that? Did you find a way out of the cage?" April turned to Leo. Assuming he had saved the day.

"No." He looked away. "She…she pulled the knife from herself and stabbed the guard. Then she got the keys and let us out."

"Whoa." Mikey said.

"That's pretty badass." Raph said quietly, almost in awe. He certainly had a new respect for the woman.

"Then Leo and I got her out of there. She uh…well…wasn't up for anymore fighting after that."

"No." Leo agreed. "And we ran her here as soon as we could. I knew Stockman would be checking hospitals for her. She knows too much."

"Stockman is totally going down." Mikey said, uncharacteristically harsh.

"Amen little brother." Raph joined. "He's a problem I'm ready to solve." Raph smacked his fist into his other hand for emphasis. No one else spoke up to disagree. The decision had been made unanimously.

**A/N: I hope my action scene was easy to follow...it's definitely one of my weak points :) But I hope you enjoyed this chapter and there is much more drama to come!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I wanted to give a special shout out to Laurenadel Story's and Lydja-chan! Thank you both for your support on this fic. Your kind words mean a lot to me! As always, reviews are welcome :)**

The next day T'mana was still unconscious and her vitals held steady. The turtles were all sitting in the kitchen trying not to worry about her when they heard a strange tribal sound ghost the air. It was a female voice.

"What the shell?" Raph muttered. Don stood up and left the kitchen and found it was louder. It also was starting to repeat itself. Exactly. He went into the medical room and found T'mana's cell phone lit up and ringing with the voice. It stopped and the phone went dark. He picked it up and slid the icon to unlock the phone. It said '1 missed call from MOM 2:32pm'.

"Awww, man." Don whispered. His brothers were behind him now. He turned to face them. "It's her mom trying to reach her." He said softly. They all looked at the floor. They felt guilty but they had no news to tell the poor woman.

"Maybe we can wait a little bit?" Mikey said. "She may come out of it later today, right? Then she can talk to her mom right away."

"Maybe, Mikey." Don agreed quietly. He set the phone down.

"What was that song? It was weird." Raph said.

"It's Lakota." Leo answered without hesitation. "She's Sioux Indian."

"I didn't know that." Don said, frowning slightly, wondering how Leo knew. "She kind of looks Asian."

"Yeah…she uh…she told me once." Leo was recalling the night she had compared him to the honorable turtle chief in her story and he felt ashamed. What honor was there in letting someone die fighting your fight?

"Oh."

"Whatever." Raph said. "It's weird."

"Actually, it sounded…calming." Leo said. "I wonder what it means." Raph gave Leo a look that said 'who cares?' and left. But not before looking over at T'mana and letting his façade slip momentarily to show concern. She had, after all, helped his brother. Then he was gone.

Don went over to check her vitals. He wanted her to wake, but he also dreaded it. He didn't want to explain what he had discovered. Leo came over and watched him. T'mana didn't look as pale, but her neck was now showing new blossoms of purple and red bruising like a grotesque necklace. Leo noted with silent dismay that he could make out the finger marks of T'mana's attacker on her throat. The bruising was deeper there.

"Everything still check out?" He asked.

"Yeah. She's still stable. The stats aren't climbing, but they're not going down, so I'll take that as good news." Leo nodded and looked at her hair. It was natted and clumped with blood and dirt from sewer walls. He grabbed one of the metal basins and began to fill it with water. Then he went to the shower room and grabbed April's shampoo, conditioner and comb. He rolled the bed out a bit, positioned a chair behind it and placed the basin on his lap. He gently moved T'mana's head and dipped it into the bowl and began to wash her hair with the water. The basin was soon tinted pink and then red. Don watched as his brother massaged shampoo through the hair and dipped it in the basin. This went on for several minutes before Don felt the need to speak.

"Leo," Don began, awkwardly. He was about to chide his brother about getting too emotionally close when Leo cut him off.

"This is something I can do for her." He said softly with regret. "You saved her life. I couldn't do that. But I can do this." He began to put the cream rinse in her hair. "I can do this." He repeated to himself.

"Leo, you did save her life. You got her out of that lab and you ran her all the way here."

"But the guard stabbed her and I couldn't stop it." He said. He set her head down and stood to get a clean basin full of water. "All I could do was watch." He returned and began to rinse her hair. Taking the comb and gently pulling through the wet hair to ease out the tangles.

"That…was her decision." Don said. Leo had not expected this response from his brother.

"Really, Don? You think she woke up and said 'Gee, I think I'll get stabbed today? That sounds productive?' I don't think she did for some reason. I don't think she decided that."

"No. But I think she did decide she wanted to try to help you. She had a moment when she could have run. She's smart and she would have known that. She could have bolted knowing the guard couldn't leave you unattended for too long. But she picked up the bat. You said it before, Leo. She's a fighter and she chose to fight for her friend." Don approached Leo and put a hand on his shell.

"Would you have left her if she was the one in the cell?"

"Of course not! I could never leave someone like that."

"Neither could she." Don said. Leo sighed.

"I suppose." Leo said. "I just wish things had happened differently."

"No kidding." Don said wryly. "Me, too. But it happened this way and it can't be undone. So let's try to pick up the pieces and learn from what did happen. If we don't learn, then all of this is wasted and that would seriously tick me off."

"Her hair will take a while to dry. Should it air dry or blow dry?"

"Air dry is fine." Don said. "Blow drying may irritate her skin. It's very sensitive right now because of the compound…" Don trailed off.

"You did everything you could, Don." Leo said, now trying to be strong for his brother.

"Yeah." Don said clearly not agreeing. "Let's see if that makes her feel better when I tell her what it means." Don sighed. "I'm going to check the cultures one more time."

"Don-"

"Just one more time." Don said as he left. Leo knew everyone felt guilty right now. Everyone felt inadequate and useless. What he really wanted was for T'mana to wake up. Then he could be free to go after Stockman. He had very dark thoughts that he made into plans and strategies. That man did not have long to live as far as Leo was concerned.

Later that evening, T'mana's cell phone rang again. Don carried it around with him in case it did ring. He wanted to know who was looking for her. The ringtone was rap. Raph raised his eye ridges in disbelief at the music choice.

"Who is it?" Raph asked. Don turned the phone over.

"The caller id says ANSWER ME."

"You mean a text?"

"No, I mean that's how the caller is listed in her contact list."

"See who it is, Don." Leo said walking into the room.

"What?"

"We're GPS proof, right?"

"Right."

"So let's see who we're dealing with." Leo nodded at the phone. Don shrugged and hit 'answer'.

"Hello?" Don asked as politely as possible.

"Who the hell is this?" A ferocious feminine voice barked. "This is not your phone." Don cleared his throat.

"Who am I speaking to?" he asked politely again.

"No…who the hell am I speaking to? This. Is. Not. Your. Phone."

"Don." He answered lamely. Raph shook his head and Leo palmed his forehead in frustration.

"Okay, Don. You better put T'mana on the phone now, or there will be hell to pay."

"T'mana's not available right now. May I tell her who's calling?"

"Not available." The voice repeated softly in a very threatening way. There was a pause then, "Are you with Stockman?"

"What?" The question jarred him.

"Stockman. Are you with Stockman? So help me if you are, if you've done something to her…I will make you suffer. Now put her on the goddamn phone."

"I'm not with Stockman and she's safe now. How do I know _you're_ not with Stockman?" He countered. Silence on the other line.

"Good god, I'm dealing with an idiot. Listen, idiot-"

"Don." He corrected through gritted teeth.

"Whatever. I'm her boss and you tell Stockman that I got enough dirt on him to land him prison for the next thirty years. Do you get that? Thirty years. At his age, that's the rest of his life. The only reason I'm holding it is because I know he has something to do with why she's missing. If you can't produce her, I'm going to go to my friend. He's on the Supreme Court bench, so you do not want to mess with me."

"As I said, we're not with Stockman. T'mana's safe. So go ahead. Anything to take him down is okay with me." Don said, getting aggravated with the threats.

"I will. I am not joking."

"Yes, I'm sure you don't have a sense of humor, ma'am." That was her button.

"Do not ma'am me!"

"Then give me name!" Don demanded.

"Grey. Sandra Grey. As if you didn't already know you son of a-"

"Sandra Grey?" Don blurted, his surprise clearly evident in his voice. "The biologist?" His shock threw Sandra for a loop.

"Yes…" She said quietly, wondering for an instant if she had the situation wrong.

"Sandra Grey." He repeated. "The Sandra Grey who repopulated the _hyena barbara_ species?"

"Yes." She said again, unsure.

"Omigosh!" Don gushed, completely changing tact. "I read your thesis on the social structure of the hyena pack as a closed family unit. It was fascinating. I always wondered though…did you find that when the pack was out of its own territory-" Leo cleared his throat and Don glanced up, jarred from his thought. "Oh. But…we…can talk about that another time."

"Right." Sandra said. "A time when T'mana is not missing or under threat." Sandra said calmly.

"She's not missing. She's with friends." Don said. "Stockman can't get to her where she is. I promise you." Don waited for the biting remark he expected from this worry-inflamed female.

"Friends? T'mana doesn't have friends. She works and sleeps. I have tried to get her to…the point is, I'm very aware that she doesn't have a social life."

"What about Guy?" Don asked. He noticed Leo's eyes flicker for a second.

"What?"

"Her boyfriend."

"She left him months ago and if you're her 'friends', you would know that. You are on very thin ice, Don. Where are you keeping her?"

"Look, Ms. Grey." Don said trying to be patient and understanding. The tone was not lost on Sandra. "I can't tell you where she is. Her safety is important to us, too. The fewer people who know, the safer she'll be. She was injured. By Stockman and his…men."

"What?" Sandra clipped.

"She's been stabilized, but…she's not conscious yet. So she can't come to the phone. As soon as she wakes, I'll have her call you. You have my word, Ms. Grey."

"While I'm glad you're a fan, Don," She said icily. "Your word means nothing to me. You are nothing to me. Am I just supposed to believe you? My friend is missing and a strange man has her phone. And she just happens to be unable to speak for herself at the moment."

"Yes." Don agreed. "It is a lot to take on faith, Ms. Grey. I understand. Do what you need to do. But I stand by my word that T'mana is as safe as she can be and we will keep her that way until she can call you." Don hit 'end' and set the phone down. "Well, that sucked."

"Yeah, why didja give her all that information?" Raph accused. "You shoulda just hung up on her."

"I was trying to prove we're not the bad guys." Don defended. "Man…she's like my hero and now she thinks I kidnapped her friend and work with Stockman." Don threw himself down onto the couch and covered his forehead with his hand. They all sat for several moments in silence wondering if this woman was going to be a problem for them. "Can this day get any worse?" As if to prove his point, T'mana's cell phone rang again with that same voice that had sung earlier in the day. Don groaned.

"Her mother again." Leo murmured. He sighed. "I'll take it." He grabbed the phone and answered. His brothers stared at him and he chose not to look at them as he answered.

"Hello, Mrs. Callahan." He said as warmly as he could.

"What have you done with her?" The voice wasn't angry or accusatory, it was pleading. It was the same voice from the ringtone. Leo realized that T'mana had recorded her mother and saved it to her phone as a ringtone. He was frozen for a moment. His heart went out to this woman.

"Mrs. Callahan, T'mana was hurt, but not by me or anyone that she is with right now. She seems to be stable, but she's not awake yet."

"I wish I could believe you." Her mother mourned. "I just spoke with-"

"Ms. Grey." Leo finished. "Yes, I gathered as much. She spoke with my brother and I know she doesn't think very highly of us right now. But she has the wrong idea."

"Does she? I'm sorry young man, but I'm inclined to believe her over you right now. I just want to know that my daughter is okay." She paused a moment. "I will do anything. Please. I…I don't have much, but what I have is yours. My home, my bank accounts all of it. I will hand it to you and kiss your feet if my daughter returns safely to me." Leo left the room and went into the medical area and spoke low, so his brothers wouldn't hear.

"Mrs. Callahan," His voice wavered. Hurt at the accusation, but understanding where it was coming from. "I don't want anything from you. I'm not holding your daughter hostage. I…I'm her friend, Mrs. Callahan." He heard her mother sob softly on the other end of the line.

"Friend?" She asked tearfully. "Then give her back to me! I'm begging you."

"I can't. She needs to be protected now. And I intend to do just that." He sighed. "T'mana once told me I reminded her of someone from a story you told her when she was younger. She said I reminded her of the turtle chief that went on the warpath against humans. He used his cunning to outsmart his enemy and saved his tribe. Right now, Mrs. Callahan, I consider T'mana part of my tribe." He fell silent. Her mother said nothing for a long while until Leo spoke again. "Mrs. Callahan?" He asked.

"I used to tell her that story every night." Her mother whispered. "It was her favorite. But she hasn't mentioned it in years…I thought she forgot…"

"She didn't." Leo disagreed softly. "She was thinking of you, before she went unconscious. Her last waking thought was of you." He heard her cry some more. "Mrs. Callahan, my brother is very good at medicine and as soon as T'mana wakes, and I know that she will, I will have her call you first and then Ms. Grey. I promise you."

"I…I believe you." She said softly. "T'mana never speaks about her heritage. You must have made quite an impression with her."

"I don't know about that. But I know that she certainly did with me."

"What is your name, young man?"

"Um…Leo." He said. Don already told his name to Ms. Grey, so he supposed it didn't matter.

"Leo, will you do me a favor?"

"If I can, Mrs. Callahan, I will."

"Can you please hold the phone to my daughter's ear?"

"She isn't awake, Mrs. Callahan. She can't hear you."

"Her spirit will. Whenever she was sick or hurt I have done this. Please…I need to do it now. Even if I cannot be with her."

"Okay. Give me a moment." He walked over to T'mana and felt foolish as he held the phone close to T'mana's ear. "Okay, Mrs. Callahan." He said a little louder so that she could hear him. He began to hear the singing voice that mirrored the ringtone. It started with a sort of chanting that was soft and ethnic. Then firmer words as she sang sweetly to her sleeping daughter. He listened and wished there was something more he could do for this poor woman. His guilt for the condition of her daughter weighed heavily on him. After a moment of silence, he brought the phone back to his own ear.

"Mrs. Callahan?" He asked.

"Thank you. Thank you, Leo."

"What does it mean?" He asked.

"It's just a lullaby I used to sing to her. It always made her well again."

"It's her ringtone on her phone when you call. It must mean a lot to her." He said, trying to be comforting and feeling like a failure.

"I didn't know that." Her voice quaked. "Oh, what happened to my baby girl?" She didn't seem to be asking Leo, but just wondering hopelessly aloud.

"Mrs. Callahan, I'm sorry. But the less you know right now, the safer you and your daughter will be. When she wakes I promise she'll call you. I'm sorry, that is the best I can offer you right now. Forgive me." He ended the call and sat down in a chair next to T'mana. "Oh, T'mana." He whispered. "I've really messed things up for you."

Don poked his head in to check on his brother. When he saw the call was over he spoke as he stepped in.

"Did your call go better than mine?"

"Yes and no." Leo said, rubbing his eyes. "She doesn't think we kidnapped her daughter, so that's good."

"That's great." Don enthused. "Maybe she'll call off the dogs."

"You mean your hero?" Leo asked smirking. Don blushed.

"Yeah. Well, it's just a turn of phrase. But her mom's okay with this?"

"No, Don. She's terrified that her only child is injured and out of her reach. But I think I managed to convince her that we're not the enemy." Leo sighed. "I don't like having my hands tied like this."

"Yeah, I know." Don walked over and began taking T'mana's vitals again. "Well, her blood pressure is better than it was this morning." Don said thoughtfully. "It's actually normal now. And her temperature is finally right." Leo moved to the edge of his chair.

"So…what does that mean?" Leo asked. "Is she going to wake up now?" Don furrowed his brow.

"Honestly, with her vitals like this, I'm surprised she hasn't already. But she did go through a traumatic and stressful ordeal. So I know she needs to recuperate…" He trailed off.

"But…" Leo prompted.

"I'm concerned about brain damage. She lost a lot of blood. And you said that Foot ninja was choking her. If her oxygen was cut off long enough in addition to the extreme blood loss…we could be looking at lost motor skills or memory from brain damage. And I don't know what kind of nerve damage the knife inflicted on her arm and fingers."

"Stockman." Leo cursed. Don ignored him.

"These are things I won't know until she wakes. Until then, I won't know the extent of the damage." Don sat down. "Hey, Leo? When did she tell you she was Sioux?"

"I don't know, Don. It was months ago."

"How did it come up?"

"Why are you asking, Don?" Leo's hackles had flown up. Why was Don picking at this one detail?

"No reason." He said standing abruptly.

"Hey, Don?" Leo asked, stopping Don from leaving the room.

"What?"

"Has anyone else called for T'mana?"

"No, just her mother and crazy lady."

"You asked about Guy. You'd think he'd call if his girlfriend went missing. I mean, we heard from her _boss_, but not him?" Leo thought very little of Guy, and now he thought even less. Don had mentioned a few instances where Guy had, in Leo's opinion, let T'mana down. Don stared at him a moment.

"She left Guy." Leo looked startled by this news.

"What? How do you know that? When did she tell you that?"

"She didn't. Ms. Grey did. Didn't help our cause, either. She said if we were really her friends, we would have known she left him months ago."

"Months?" Leo suddenly wished he knew how long. He wished he knew what caused her to finally get rid of that man from her life. Don sat down, his eyes glued to his brother.

"I'm such an idiot." Don whispered.

"No you're not, Don." Leo said confused, wondering where that remark was coming from.

"You like her." Don nodded toward T'mana. "That's why this has gotten to you so bad."

"It hasn't gotten to me!" Leo argued.

"Leo, the last time I saw you like this was when…" Don fell silent. Leo stood.

"Don't." He warned his brother.

"Leo." Don stood and reached for him, to calm him down.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Leo swerved to avoid Don's hand and whisked out of the medical room.

"When Splinter died." Don finished quietly to himself.

* * *

Two more days passed and T'mana still hadn't woken. There were no more calls on her cell phone either. Leo didn't know what to think of that. The silence could be dangerous. He had avoided Don since he walked out on him, but now approached him.

"Hey," Leo said softly. Though it was softly spoken, it still startled the brainy turtle from his thoughts. He was sitting at the computer in the medical area. Now that it had an occupant, it wasn't really his lab at the moment.

"Hey…" Don replied, unsure what else to say. Leo rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and leaned against the doorframe.

"Look…about the other day…" He began.

"It's okay." Don said.

"No, it isn't." Leo sighed. "I'm sorry, Donnie. I didn't mean to take it out on you. I guess…this is bothering me more than I want to admit to myself." Don stared at his brother a moment and then grabbed the back of a chair and rolled it out, indicating that Leo should sit down. Leo closed the door behind him and took the offered seat.

"You shouldn't ignore how you feel." Don said uncertainly. He didn't want to set his brother off again, but he didn't want to see his brother in this much pain either. "It's okay to care for people." Leo's face darkened and Don thought he crossed the line again.

"It's dangerous to do that." Leo said without emotion. Don leaned back in his chair, chewing on a pen thoughtfully.

"It's dangerous anyway." He said. "T'mana was out of our lives for months when Stockman…um…" He cleared his throat. "The point is that trouble just finds us. So if there's someone out there that makes life more enjoyable…why deny yourself that?" Don was on a roll now. He could tell Leo was listening to him.

"Life is so fragile, Leo. It doesn't take much to snuff it out. So we need to enjoy every minute of it. I know you're worried about us. You're always trying to keep us safe, but I think T'mana has more than proven on several occasions, that she is not the enemy. So…it's okay to want…more." Don ended anticlimactically. He stopped chewing on his pen and watched his brother stare back at him. Wondering if Leo was going to chew him out or just walk away again. Instead, Leo looked away almost ashamed.

"Don…are you…_mad_ about this?" He asked. The fact that Leo couldn't look at him right now, floored Don. He had never seen his brother…_submissive_ before.

"Mad?" Don asked.

"Yeah," Leo said. "I mean…I know you kind of…well…were-"

"Oh." Don said, understanding. He blushed a little. "Yeah, well. I like her, Leo. I do. But I don't know her well enough for it to be more than that. But…"

"But?" Leo asked, still looking away.

"But," Don began slowly. "I don't think that's the case with you." Leo's eyes widened in surprise as he turned to look at his brother. "Tell me I'm wrong." Don challenged politely. Leo looked away again. "That's what I thought."

"I'm sorry, Don. I really am. I didn't want this to go anywhere. And I'm still not certain that it can…go anywhere I mean. I haven't seen her in months. I told her I needed the distance. That it would be best. I didn't say the things I wanted to say because I wanted to keep her out of my life. _Our_ lives." Leo glanced over at the sleeping form of T'mana. "And now, months later, she risked her life to save mine and I have no idea why! After I pushed her away so coldly, she came back for me. She left Stockman's lab safely, and returned for me. She picked up the bat instead of running away." He fell silent, struggling with his emotions.

"The truth is, Don. I walked away all those months ago, because I was afraid that I was falling in love with her. I know I didn't seem like it, but everything she said or did…it just struck a chord with me. When I saw her looking at me through the glass room Stockman kept me in, I realized that all those months of separation didn't dull the feeling at all. I had just ignored it. And when she showed up again, it was so strong it felt like a punch in the gut. But I didn't give her any credit. I assumed the worst in my head. That she would work with Stockman because that's what humans do. I tried to be angry, but all I felt was hurt and betrayed. I kept going over all the moments we spoke trying to figure out where I had gone so wrong with her. And do you know what? Even then, even thinking what I did, I _couldn't_ hate her. I cared too damn much." Leo put a hand to his forehead in shame. "You have no idea…" He whispered. "What it did to me…to have to watch her while the guard…" He couldn't continue.

"Leo," Don said calmly, putting his arm around his brother. "This was not your fault. You did everything you could and because of that she's safe here now."

"Safe? She's not awake, Don! She may not wake up!" Leo's voice burst with new vigor. "And if she does, what kind of condition will she be in? We don't know!"

"Leo," Don scolded. "That isn't your fault. This is because of Stockman. You and I are trying our best to fix what he did. I'm still doing research." He gestured to the computer that was now dark since it had gone into standby. "I haven't given up on her and I know you haven't either." Leo looked at the computer.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"It's okay. You're upset. Believe me, I am too. I'm fond of her, you know." Don said with a slight twinkle in his eye.

"Sorry." Leo said again. "I know that I…kept you from her. In the beginning." He said. Don nodded.

"Yeah. But I listened to you." He said, as if that should make him feel better.

"I shouldn't have done that." Leo admonished himself. Don took a deep breath.

"If I really wanted to…" Don said. "I would have ignored you. I mean, you're my brother, but you don't run my life. I guess, looking back, I didn't fight you because she didn't mean enough to me at that point to defy you. But it looks like you can't say the same thing." Don smiled.

"I guess not." Leo acknowledged. "But like I said, I don't know that this will go anywhere. I mean, how could it?"

"What do you mean? If you're insinuating she doesn't care about you, she's got a five inch stab wound that says otherwise. Normal people, people who aren't trained in protection, run away, Leo. They get scared and they run. Something has to make them hold their ground and it has to be something strong. Like a friend or loved one in danger." Don stopped and stretched. He had been sitting for so long. "It's really late." He said. "And I happen to know you were up at the crack of dawn this morning."

"Yeah." Leo admitted. "It's hard to sleep." He paused a moment. "So…we're okay?" He asked. Don stood and Leo followed suit. Don pulled his brother into a hug, which startled Leo, but he did return it.

"Yeah, Leo. We're good. You're my brother. You can always talk to me."

"Not a word to Raph." Leo pleaded firmly. "Or Mikey. Last thing I need is Raph to challenge me and Mikey to make goo goo eyes and lovey dovey comments." Don chuckled.

"Our secret." He promised.

"Good night."

"Good night." Leo left and Don sat back down at his computer. He turned it back on and went back to work on his research. He was looking for ways to stimulate a sleeping subject into a waking state. It didn't last long because he slipped into sleep himself at his desk.

**A/N: If anyone is interested in T'mana's lullaby, you can check it out on YouTube . Tianna Spotted Thunder's acapella version is what made me want to use it in my story. **


	8. Chapter 8

T'mana woke silently and without movement. Only her eyelids lifted. Wherever she was, the room was dark and she could tell she was lying down. Pain engulfed her and a wave of nausea almost overcame her, but she tried to clear her head of it. Abruptly, she sat and swung her legs until her feet felt the floor beneath them. Again, pain flared across her entire body. Because it was all encompassing, she waited a moment and breathed as quietly as she could. Her eyes were not adjusting to the dark at all, so she decided to stand and make use of her hands to find where the exit was. But she suddenly found herself with the floor slamming into her. She cried out as her left shoulder in particular exploded with pain so excruciating it made the black room white for a moment.

"T'mana?" a voice spoke. She felt hands lifting her gently, but she struggled against them.

"No." She gurgled. Her voice startled her. It didn't sound like hers at all. It didn't sound feminine. It sounded animal-like and ugly.

"T'mana, it's me. Don. You're okay." The name registered with her and she did a quick mental check and realized that the voice did match her memory of Don. She stopped struggling and fell limp in his arms with defeat.

"No," She said again, but this time it was a whimper of fear. "Got you, too." She moaned.

"No." Don said. "You're safe. You're at the lair. See?" She heard a click and the room flashed into view violently with a burst of light. She shut her eyes and looked away. Spots of different colors danced behind her lids. "Sorry about that." Don said, softly. "Let's get you back into bed, okay?" She felt his hands under her arms and she lifted as if she were a marionette. When she was upright, he leaned her against his side and then set her onto the bed. Slowly, she opened her eyes as he picked up her legs and laid them down so she was back in the same position she had been when she first woke up. He took two pillows and propped them behind her so she was now sitting up. She was blinking, but looked around and remembered the room where Don had once stitched her temple.

"See?" Don said gently. "You're safe now."

"Leo!" She shouted in sudden remembrance, but it came out a soft raspy cry. She struggled to jump out of bed again, but Don gently restrained her as he spoke.

"He's safe too. He's asleep, but he's here, too." Don pulled up a chair and handed her a water bottle to her mouth. "Here, drink some." He tipped the bottle and she opened her mouth to allow the cool liquid to caress her parched throat. It seemed like she could actually feel the water revitalize the cells it touched as it flowed. She felt like she moaned, but she couldn't be sure.

"You really scared us." Don said softly. She looked at him.

"Me, too." She said. Her voice was less raspy, but still whisper-soft. She leaned back on the pillows and breathed heavily for a moment, as if she had just run 26.2 miles.

"Is there a lot of pain?" Don asked.

"It's good." She said.

"Good?" Don asked, doubtfully.

"I didn't think I'd be alive to feel it."

"But it hurts a lot, doesn't it?" He pressed.

"Yes." She admitted.

"I didn't know if you had any allergies to pain medication. I couldn't risk it."

"No allergies." She said.

"Good. Then I'm going to give you something to ease the pain, okay?" He was gone and in two minutes he was back tapping a syringe to make sure all the air was out of the needle. He swabbed the crook of her arm and looked to her as if to ask permission. She simply returned his look without fear and that was enough for him. He pushed the needle and pressed the plunger down. "I need to ask you a few things." He said as he placed a band-aid with a cotton ball on the puncture wound. "Standard procedure." He said. "So no laughing." She raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's your name?" He began. She frowned.

"T'mana Callahan." She said.

"Your full name." He said. "As it reads on your license." T'mana moaned.

"T'mana _Wayate Cante_ Callahan."

"Birthday?"

"April 15, 1988."

"Who is currently president of the United States?"

"Barack Obama." She had a ghost of a smile on her face.

"I said no laughing." Don chided. He went to the other side of the bed and rolled the chair with him. "Okay, so you passed that." He said, smiling. "Now I need to check your arm. Do you remember what happened to it?" He asked.

"Yes." She said softly. "I remember."

"What's the last thing you remember?" T'mana swallowed uncomfortably.

"Um…Walking down a really long hallway. Still in the lab." She paused. "When I first woke up, I thought we didn't make it out." Don nodded.

"You had a lot of blood loss by then. But Leo and Casey got you out and brought you here. We couldn't risk a hospital." He apologized.

"No." She agreed.

"But you do remember what happened here?" He asked again as he pointed to her shoulder.

"Yes. A guard did that. I remember." Don nodded, not wanting to push too much more.

"Okay. I just need to check your responses. I need you to look over there," He pointed in the opposite direction. "And close your eyes." She closed them. "When you feel something, say 'now.' Okay?"

"Okay." Don touched her arm with his whole hand.

"Now." She laughed. Don didn't, and removed his hand and replaced it with a finger. He brushed her lightly again.

"Now." She said again. Don took up a small needle and placed the tip on her skin ever so gently.

"Now." She said. He moved the needle several times and every time T'mana felt it. He went from her shoulder all the way down to her fingers.

"Good. That's very good, T'mana." Now, I want you to try to move your fingers for me. She could wiggle them, but they were stiff and uncoordinated. T'mana had a look of shock in her eyes. "Hey," He said. "That's okay. All that means is you'll need some physical therapy, but there's no nerve damage. So I expect a full recovery." He beamed at her. She didn't return it. He stood. "I should go get, Leo. He'll want to see you. He'll kill me if I wait any longer-"

"Don?" She asked, before he went out the door. Her hand was on her neck, where the puncture wound was. She wasn't looking at him. "Stockman…injected me with something." She whispered. Donnie deflated. He was so happy that she didn't have any brain damage or nerve damage. He didn't want to tell her this now. He closed the door quietly and resumed his seat next to her.

"Yeah." Don said quietly. "I know."

"Donatello?" She asked. He sighed.

"T'mana…a compound was injected into your blood stream. The compound included lightly irradiated Luteinizing hormones." Don paused. "Luteinizing hormones are released in females to stimulate ovulation, so they flow to the ovaries." He did not want to continue.

"Irradiated?" T'mana asked. "As in radiation?"

"Yes." Don said softly. "The combination induces…sterility."

"Sterility." T'mana repeated. She didn't seem upset, she seemed confused. "Why would he do that?" She asked herself. She didn't seem to be addressing Don. She looked at him after a moment.

"I'm so sorry, T'mana." He said. "By the time I was able to investigate, the compound had been too long in your system for me to try to reverse the effects."

"Sterility." She confirmed.

"Yes. The irradiated hormone poisoned all of your eggs. You'll still ovulate and menstruate, but…" He fell silent. "I'm so sorry." He said again. The pain and guilt evident in his voice.

"It's not your fault." She said automatically. She was distracted. "Why would he do that, Don?" She asked again. "What would be the point?"

"Well…I …can only raise conjecture at this point." He said.

"Then please raise it." She commanded calmly.

"T'mana…"

"Donatello, please." He sighed.

"I can only assume that this was meant to be the first injection in a series."

"Series?"

"Stockman…experiments with gene manipulation and splicing, T'mana. He's a very brilliant but amoral individual." He didn't know what else to say.

"So…" T'mana thought out loud. "He didn't want whatever he turned me into to be able to reproduce." She said.

"He can't get to you here." Don said to comfort her. He sighed again. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to drop this on you so soon after you woke up. Are you…are you okay?"

"Yes." She said. Her voice was much stronger. She grabbed the water bottle and finished it. "I think the drugs are kicking in now." She said. "I feel fuzzy."

"Sorry. I made the first dose kind of strong to knock out the pain. I'll lessen the dosage for the next injections." She nodded. "Did you want to go back to sleep?"

"Actually…I'm kind of hungry." She sheepishly smiled. Don grinned.

"Soup okay? I don't want anything too heavy in your system yet."

"That would be great." Don stood and T'mana grabbed his knee gently; she was too weak to raise her arm higher. "Thank you, Donatello." She said. He nodded and extricated himself gently from her grip.

"I'll go let Leo know you're awake and bring you some soup."

After a few moments, Leo came in. He stood at the doorframe for a moment, just taking in the image of her sitting up in bed, alert and looking around. Her eyes fell on him when her head turned. She didn't smile, but she immediately held out her hand to him, gesturing him to come to her. He obeyed and held out his hand to meet hers. She took it as he sat down in the chair Don had previously occupied.

"Leo." Hope, relief and gratitude laced that single word and Leo put his other hand on hers, so that both of his sandwiched hers.

"Are you okay?" He asked. A single tear fell down her cheek.

"I am now." She nodded. "I'm sorry." She said. Leo frowned.

"For what?" He was bewildered by her apology.

"That I messed up so badly. I had this plan to get you out and no one would get hurt…" She was crying now. "And I'm sorry that I'm crying like a baby about it now. God, I'm so weak." She chided herself.

"Weak?" Leo uttered, shocked. "T'mana, I have never seen anyone show so much strength. You got Casey and me out of there. Weak is not the word I would use to describe you." He sighed. "I'm sorry that you had to do what you did. I should have been able to protect you." He derided himself. He finally voiced to her what he had been feeling since that night. "I failed you, T'mana. This never should have happened." To his surprise, T'mana laughed. It was not the response he was expecting and his thoughts immediately went to when she was giggling from the loss of blood. Alarm lit through him like a brush fire.

"I see you know how to play the Blame Game, too." She joked. "But, I have to tell you. I am the defending champion. You'll never win."

"Well, you're in a whole new weight class now," He intoned smiling as well, his fear extinguished with her reasonable response. "So I'll give you a run for your money." Just then, Don entered carrying a bowl on top of a bed table. The scent wafted down to T'mana.

"Oh…that smells so good." She said.

"Well, it's just broth and like two pieces of chicken. Take it slow." He set the table over T'mana's legs and noticed that Leo had to let go of T'mana to help settle the table, but took it up again once the table was ready.

"Thank you," She murmured. Since her good hand was in Leo's, she tried to lift her left hand and grip the spoon.

"Here," Leo let go of her hand.

"Yes, take it slow." Don repeated. She picked up the spoon, but her hand quaked from weakness. She set it back into the bowl, took a breath and tried again. It was the same. Don slowly back stepped out of the room and closed the door. Leo noticed his brother's exit, so felt less exposed when he took the spoon from her and filled it with broth.

"Once you get your strength back, you'll be good as new." Leo encouraged. "But for now, will you let me help you?" She looked at him a moment. The question did two things for T'mana. One: it gave her the choice to be assisted, rather than have it forced on her. She liked that. Her pride was less wounded. And two: she knew it was Leo's way of asking for her friendship again. She didn't want to reject him. She very much wanted him to be around.

"Thank you." She gratefully replied and opened her mouth for the soup. He smiled a dazzling smile that made him seem boyish. She took three spoonfuls. "Not just for the soup." She continued. "Thank you for everything." Leo stirred the soup rather than look at her. He gave her two more spoonfuls. "I know what Stockman's capable of now. I'm glad we're both out of there." Leo nodded, still not looking at her.

"Did Don explain…um…"

"Yes." She rescued him from his thought. "He did. I know what the injection was." Leo stirred the soup some more.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes." She echoed her response from earlier. Leo looked up, disbelieving. "Yes." She repeated, insistent. "I'm not exactly the matriarchal type." She said. Leo held out the spoon and she took another sip.

"Not being the type and not being able to be the type are two completely different things." Leo observed. T'mana frowned.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that losing the choice can sometimes make you realize what you really think about something." She was silent for a moment.

"I…don't think I'm ready to talk about this." She mumbled. He went back to stirring the dregs of the soup.

"I'm sorry," Leo assuaged. "I didn't mean to-"

"I know." T'mana allowed. "Let's just say that right now I'm okay with it, but I may not be later."

"Okay." Leo agreed. He set the bowl down on the bed table. "Well, I'm going to go wash this and bring you some more water. Then you should probably get some rest. I know you haven't been up for long, but you're going to need to rest in order to build up your strength." She nodded. Leo left and was gone for several minutes. She had removed one of the pillows behind her with only a minor squabble of pain from her shoulder this time. She was now laying down and her eyes felt grainy and her eyelids leaden. But she didn't want to fall asleep yet. Suddenly, something changed. It took a second for her to realize that her eyes were closed and the light that had purred against her lids had suddenly gone. She opened her eyes and the room was dark.

"Leo?" She asked the empty room.

"Yes?" Oh, good. She hadn't missed him.

"Sleep well." She said feeling stupid. She couldn't remember what she had wanted to say. Her brain was very fuzzy now. She heard his low chuckle.

"Pleasant dreams." He returned. She heard the door click shut and fell asleep unafraid.

* * *

T'mana woke and this time the room was bright. How had she slept with all this light in the room? She heard clacking. She turned her head to see Don at the computer typing away. He looked over when he saw movement and grinned slyly.

"Sorry." He said. "You have some anxious visitors."

"Visitors?" She asked.

"She's up!" Don called, not loudly but enough apparently because Mikey bounded in with a huge teddy bear in his arms.

"There she is!" Mikey exclaimed. T'mana used her good arm to sit up. Mikey perched himself on the edge of the bed. "This is for you." He said and set the bear down next to him. It reached his neck. He used his hand to make the arm of the bear wave 'hello'. It was wearing a t-shirt that said 'get well soon'.

"Thank you, Mikey." She laughed.

"So ya hungry?" He asked. "I can make anything you want."

"Um-"

"Soup." Don said. "Nothing too heavy yet, Mikey."

"Soup's no fun!" Mikey argued. He turned back to T'mana. "Wouldn't you rather have vegetables stir fried in garlic sauce with crispy chicken pieces flaked with sesame seeds?"

"Well, yes, but you'll have to get my doctor's approval." She leaned out to indicate Don, who had his arms crossed with a glare at Mikey.

"I tried." He shrugged. "Can I get you anything, though?" He asked sincerely. "Hey, maybe we can move you into the living room? You can watch TV at least." He looked at Don.

"Well," Don thought. "I guess…just be very careful with her stitches. They're healing well, but better safe than sorry." He said. At that moment, Raph strode in.

"Ah…sleepin' beauty's awake." He said with a rare smile. "Kickin' ass always tires me out." He complimented.

"Well…" T'mana began. "I think I was more on the receiving end of the ass kicking in this case."

"Not the way I hear it." Raph said. "I heard you slid right under this guy's sword and capped out his knees, BAM!" He swung his arms like he just hit a home run. "I woulda paid money to see that, slugger."

"Well, I think I need a few more classes from my trainer before I try anything like that again." She humbly answered. Leo came in.

"Trainer?" He asked.

"Yeah. I have a defense trainer."

"Not a bad idea." Raph intoned. "Kick their ass before they can kick yours, I always say." Leo rolled his eyes.

"No, you always say 'hit first, ask later.'" Mikey supplied.

"Yeah, that, too." Raph agreed. "You'll have a pretty bitchin' scar." He continued. "That was bad ass, doin' what ya did. Be proud of it."

"I…uh…hadn't thought of it like that. Thanks, Raphael."

"No problem. I got your back, slugger." He went up to her and put his hand on her good shoulder. "'Cause you had my brother's back. I won't forget that in a hurry." He promised.

"We're gonna move her to the couch. Hey, I know!" Mikey shouted and T'mana could practically see the light bulb beaming over his head. "We'll move you to the rolly chair and I'll totally give you a ride!"

"Well…" He was already grabbing her arm and lifting her over.

"Mikey…" Leo warned.

"Got it." He said. T'mana was on the chair. "Kay, now put your feet on the wheels, there you go. Ready?"

T'mana gripped the sides of the seat and nodded. Mikey bent his legs and rushed her towards the door. Leo jumped out of the way and turned in time to see Mikey careening around the couch not letting up on the speed with T'mana squealing and laughing with pure delight. Mikey took another turn and more peals of laughter followed which were contagious. All three of the brothers were in different levels of laughter. Finally, Mikey slowed imitating breaks screeching to a halt as he pulled up next to the couch.

"My stomach hurts," T'mana giggled. "No more making me laugh today…" She commanded seriously, but only managed to not smile for about five seconds. Mikey grinned.

"The car will return to pick up later this evening, Madame." He crooned with a badly done British accent. Then he helped her onto the couch. "Right," He returned to his normal surfer like voice. "So…lunch."

"Lunch?"

"Yeah," Raph said, coming out now that it was safe. "It's almost two o'clock." Raph flopped onto one of the chairs, Mikey was in the kitchen, Don was hovering by the door and Leo sat down next to T'mana.

"Good afternoon." Leo said, smiling. He set down a water bottle in front of her.

"Thanks." She said, grabbing it. Leo was getting ready to tell her that she should call her mother when he suddenly heard beeping sounds. His head flicked immediately to Don who had dropped what he was doing and had run to the area with his surveillance cameras. Leo stood, watching the door.

"Don?" He called anxiously, asking for information.

"I don't know!" He shouted. "The feed's been cut!" Leo stood, drew his swords in response and stepped in front of T'mana. Raph and Mikey were closer to the door, their weapons at the ready as well.

Don came running back just in time for the door to swing open to reveal two women. One looked rather pleased with herself for about three seconds until she saw what the door revealed. The other looked like this was just another day in the army. Her face was blank and her gun swung to point at Mikey, who was closest to her, without any hesitation or surprise in her movements.

There was a tense moment, when no one knew what to do. Then the army girl took control of the situation and kicked up her leg, pushing Mikey back. She smiled faintly, pleased with herself and cocked the gun she was holding and kept it level at Mikey, who had righted himself. His chucks were ready to go, but he made no move just yet.

"Sir," The army girl said, "We're in." She had dark red hair pulled tightly into a ponytail. She wore a tight black tank top that revealed sculpted arms and shoulders. At her waist was a gun belt equipped with bullets and two other guns. She wore army green khakis that were full length and tucked into her boots. At her right thigh she had a knife belted. She wore a blue tooth earpiece that she now communicated with. There was a crackling sound. "Yes, sir. I see the target." Her brown eyes had fallen on T'mana. She could see the woman behind the turtle with two swords.

The other girl moved less confidently and tried to step closer to the army girl, but Raph cut off her path and rubbed his sais together making them sing. He glared.

"I don't think so." He sneered. This girl was clearly not army. She had dirty blonde hair that was also pulled into a ponytail, but very messily. Tendrils hung wildly around her face. She wore black square lined glasses like Buddy Holly. Her black t-shirt said:

C:\DOS

C:\DOS\RUN

\RUN\DOS\RUN

Her jeans were lightly faded and she had plastic bracelets on her wrist that were all black. Her gym shoes were black sketchers with white stripes on them. Raph was very disappointed that he had gotten the geek. He was dying for some action and needed to beat the crap out of something. This shaking girl was definitely not up to the challenge. When he blocked her way, she wilted and paled, stepping backwards immediately. Raph logged her as 'not a threat' without a second thought. He turned to Mikey, who had the real risk.

"Sir, I'm going to attempt to acquire the target." She kept her eyes on Mikey.

"You know, dudette." Mikey commented. "We can understand you." Army blinked and made no other indication that she heard. Mikey huffed. "I think you need to drop your weapon. I mean, you're totally out numbered. Duh." He chided.

"I have a gun." She stated. "I think that trumps all your hand weapons."

"Do you?" Mikey asked. He moved in a flash. He flicked his left nun chuck, dropped to his knees, so the bullet that fired missed him. He jumped up instantly, grabbed the gun, twisted, pulled it from her, and by the time he was done twisting, he was facing her with the gun now pointing at her. She started to reach for another weapon in her belt, but Mikey thrust the gun forward, and she put her hands up. "Uh-uh." Mikey said. "I have a gun and no…it doesn't trump our hand weapons." Army's lips thinned.

"Sir, we have…a complication." The crackling noise resounded. Leo had had enough. He strode forward, and held his sword out, daring her to move. She didn't. He pulled the earpiece out and held it to his own ear.

"This is the complication speaking," He spoke derisively in his fury. "Your crew is in custody." He nodded to Mikey and Raph. They began to bind the girls. Before he could continue, Army gave Mikey an unexpected uppercut, sending him flying backwards and skidding on his shell. Donnie helped him up clumsily, but saw that once again, a gun was trained on them. "Oh, come on." Leo whispered. "All right, scratch that last." He amended. "We have weapons and so does one of your crew. But she won't have it for long. Call her off." Silence met him. "Oh, you have nothing to say to me? Okay. Well I have something to say to you. Tell Stockman he can run. He can run to the ends of the earth, but we will find him. And this little circus act you have here, is not going to deter us. He won't live long enough to regret messing with T'mana."

"Who is this?" a female voice finally asked.

"Who is this?" Leo returned. He heard a sigh.

"Well, this is not Stockman. That's for sure."

"But you're with him."

"No…for god sakes, another idiot. Just like the last one I spoke to." Leo raised an eye ridge.

"Excuse me?"

"I am not with Stockman. I want my friend back and I want you to hand her over to 'my crew' as you so eloquently put it."

"Ms. Grey?" Leo asked, incredulous.

"Don't tell me, another fan? I don't care. As I said, give me my friend back now."

"Okay, okay." Leo said. "Listen. No one has to get hurt here. I'm going to let you talk to her yourself. Then call off your crew."

"Right. Let me guess. The reason she's going to sound different is not because she's a different person, but because of her injury, right?"

"Um…right." He cleared his throat.

"How predictable. Listen, I don't really care what your game is. I don't know why you're doing this-"

"Just talk to T'mana." He said and handed the earpiece over to T'mana who was staring at Leo.

"Sandra?" T'mana rasped. Silence for a moment.

"T? Is that really you?"

"Yes. Those moves of Jacques' really came in handy."

"Oh, T! Oh my god! I'm going to get you out of there."

"No! Please, call them off." Silence again. "Sandra?"

"T…are they forcing you to say this?"

"No. They're my friends. Please, call them off." Sandra sighed.

"I need you to say it."

"Tell my mother I'm okay." T'mana said. Sandra let out a breath of relief. They both had a code. If one said to tell a family member that existed that they were okay, it meant they were okay. But if they said a family member that didn't exist, like if T'mana said to tell her sister she was okay, when she didn't have a sister, it meant she was in trouble.

"Oh, T'mana…okay. Give the earpiece to one of my girls. I'll tell them to stand down."

"Thank you, Sandra." She held out the piece to Leo. "She said she'll call them off. Give this to one of them." Leo took it from her.

"T'mana…" He said, concern clearly lacing his voice.

"It's okay, Leo. She's my friend. I trust her to do this." Leo sighed and nodded his head.

"Okay. Because she's your friend." He slowly approached the army woman. She didn't lower her gun. He stopped and against his better judgment, he sheathed his swords. "I'm going to put this next to your ear." He said. "You won't have to lower the weapon, but I hope that you will once you speak with Ms. Grey." She watched him like a panther watches a lion. Sizing him up coolly. She allowed him to hold the earpiece to her ear. He could hear the crackling that was the voice of Ms. Grey issuing her command. Army's eyes flickered for a moment, but she immediately sheathed her gun in a single movement. Mikey let out a breath, since the gun had been pointed at him. Mikey sheathed his nun chucks, but was not going to underestimate that woman again. He was ready to take her down in case she changed her mind. She stood at parade rest as if awaiting further orders. She had taken the ear piece back and replaced it on herself. Raph was not going to untie the techie geek just yet. While she wasn't a threat, it was nice not to have to worry about her sneaking in a lucky sucker punch if he wasn't looking.

"Um…guys?" Don asked. Only Leo turned. Mikey kept his eyes trained on his quarry and Raph kept his eyes on the techie. Leo immediately noticed what was wrong.

"Don!" He shouted. He ran and jumped over the couch to reach him. Don had been shot. A shoulder wound. The stray shot Army had gotten off when Mikey snagged her gun.

"It's okay…" Don said. "I just can't operate on myself. Hurts like a-"

"What the hell am I looking at?" a resounding fierce voice snapped harshly. It was filled with disbelief and annoyance. Ms. Sandra Grey stood at the entrance and was taking in the scene of four giant turtles, standing on two legs dispersed about the room. She wore a grey business suite and her hair was swept up in a French twist that made her look intimidating and cunning. All faces turned to her. But only one face caught Sandra's interest. "T!" She shouted panicked. She forgot everything else and strode swiftly, urgently and fell to her knees in front of T'mana. "Oh, T..." She reached out to hug T'mana but noticed all the bruising and wounds. "Oh, T…" She moaned, covering her mouth in shock with her hand. Her hand was shaking. Everyone was watching her but she was oblivious.

Don watched her closely. He was waiting for the furious backlash they would get. No doubt Ms. Grey would blame them for T'mana's condition. It didn't even happen yet, and Donnie was already slightly resentful. But she surprised him.

"T, I'm so sorry!" Sandra had a painful expression fixed on her face. T'mana was horrified. She tried to calm her friend, but Sandra jumped in. "This is all my fault! Oh, what did he do to you?" She put a hand gently to T'mana's head.

"This isn't your fault." T'mana whispered. She still didn't have her voice back yet. Both from the choking and from not using it for several days.

"Yes it is." Sandra said firmly. "Damn it. I will never forgive myself. I never should have sent you there."

"I'm glad you did." T'mana firmly informed. It shocked everyone in the room.

"T, you don't mean that." Sandra argued.

"Yes, I do." T'mana grabbed Sandra's arm and pulled her up, so that she was forced to sit on the couch with her. "I was able to finally return a favor." She said, looking at Leo. He shifted uncomfortably.

"T'mana, you didn't owe me anything. Any of us."

"Yes, I did."

"No." He insisted desperately. "If you did all that just because you felt you owed me a favor-"

"That's not what I meant."

"Good, because that would be foolish." Leo growled. T'mana stared at him for a moment.

"Are you mad at me, Leo?" she asked, amused.

"Is this funny to you?" He fumed. "You almost die, Stockman is hunting all of us, I have three strange humans in my living room one of which hacked through all of Donnie's protective devices, and he's been shot, for goodness sake!"

"What?" T'mana and Sandra said at the same time.

"YES!" Leo bellowed. "Shot! By _your_ people!" He pointed at Sandra accusingly. "You couldn't have waited five more minutes?! I was going to have her call you…like DON SAID WE WOULD!" He had stepped towards them and had his hand on the back of the couch as he yelled at Sandra. He was getting ready to continue his rant when he felt the cool, calming hand of T'mana's cover his tensed hand that was crushing the couch cushion. The effect was instantaneous. Every muscle in his body relaxed and he pulled away, turning his shell to them.

"Just go. Just get your people out of here while I tend to my brother." He walked over to Don, who was holding his shoulder. "Come on, let's get you taken care of." Raph had been about to jump in, but was surprised when he didn't need to. His brother so seldom lost his cool like that with anyone but him, and it really pissed him off that this lady pushed his buttons.

"He said to get lost." Raph threatened.

"Yeah," Mikey jumped in. "So you ladies can just go out the way you came in." Army looked over at him, looked him up and down lazily, decided he wasn't worth it and returned to parade rest. Mikey narrowed his eyes. "Listen, lady. You really don't want to push me. You just shot my brother and I don't do anger very well. I tend to lose it. So just step out." Army looked over to him again.

"Sorry for your brother." She said without inflection. "I was aiming at you."

"Yeah. World's Worst Apology award goes to you. Get out of my home."

"I don't normally miss." She hissed, allowing some anger to peak through.

"Yeah. I bet you also don't normally lose your gun to the enemy. I must bring out the suck in you."

"You better stand down, Soylent Green." She warned.

"No way! You still think you can take me? I totally whipped you. Just admit it. I mean, be a man about it." He scoffed. She glared at him.

"You, a giant talking turtle, are telling me, a human woman, to _man up_?" Mikey had the decency to look chagrined.

"It's an expression." Mikey defended.

"Well, pick another one!"

"Okay…just admit that I'm top dog." Mikey said. She stared at him a moment.

"Do you even listen to yourself?"

"Mikey's idiocy aside," Raph chaffed. "The point is: leave, loser."

"Yeah," Mikey said. "Leave, loser." And then he stuck his tongue out to increase the childlike insult.

"We're not going anywhere just yet." Sandra stood to increase the authority of her words. "I don't care who or what you are at the moment, but I'm not leaving until I get answers to my questions."

"Who you callin' a 'what', lady?" Raph growled. Again he ran his sais together threateningly.

"Oh, very scary." Sandra scathingly replied. "Men are way too theatrical. You should take a cue from O'Rourke over there. Less is more." She nodded her head at the army woman.

"Oh, you are askin' for it." Raph warned.

"Am I? Am I asking for it? Isn't that just like a man? We always want what you want to give, isn't that so? Whether it's an ass kicking or your lust limb."

"My what?" Raph shouted.

"You're all alike. Doesn't matter what damn species. You all need to dominate. Well, screw you, Shelton. I don't take orders from anyone." And at that she walked away and stepped into the medical room Leo and Donnie were in.

"She can be kinda rude sometimes." The blonde girl said very softly. Raph whipped his head to her.

"No kiddin'!" He roared, angry that his pride had been punctured in front of so many people. The girl paled and looked away. He instantly regretted shouting. It seemed like maybe she was apologizing for that woman, but he wasn't going to say he was sorry. That was never going to happen. "What's _your_ game, anyway?" He asked, changing the subject and letting his focus settle on her since she had drawn his attention. His voice was still rough, but not full of fury like it had been. She looked at him to see if he was, in fact, addressing her.

"Me? Um…I'm the geek." She offered. He blinked at her. He knew she was a geek, but he didn't really know too many geeks who introduced themselves that way.

"What?" He grunted.

"Um…well, O'Rourke 's the brawn," she pointed over to O'Rourke. "Sandra's the brain, you know, the one with the plans and master of the team? And I'm…the nerd they bring along for all the tech crap they need done." She shrugged.

"Oh. So you're the one who hacked our door code." He grumbled.

"Yeah!" She said brightly. "It was pretty tough. I had to try, like, five different mathematical theorems to finally crack the algorithm-" She faltered at Raph's outraged look. "But, you don't need to know all the details." She fell silent. A moment passed. "I'm really sorry about your brother." She said softly. "I hope he's okay." Raph narrowed his eyes at her. "I was told this was a rescue mission…I didn't think anyone would get hurt." She fell silent again. A piece of her hair fell into her face over her glasses and tickled her nose. She tried to blow it and when that failed she tried to shake her head, but it kept falling in the same place. Raph sighed heavily.

"C'mere." He said, annoyed. She didn't move. "C'mere." He repeated, further annoyed at her disobedience. She took a single step and he raised an eye ridge at her. Again, she didn't move, but tried to blow the piece of hair off her nose again. "Jeez, just c'mere." He said as he grabbed her elbow and pulled her over. She squeaked a little and O'Rourke, came to attention and started to reach for her weapon.

"Calm down, GI Jane." Raph smirked. He took his sai, showed O'Rourke and slowly cut off the bindings from the techie's hands. Immediately the blonde's right hand moved the hair away while her left hand scratched her nose. She moaned with relief and Raph chuckled a little.

"Thanks." She said, still scratching. O'Rourke went back to parade rest and noticed that Mikey also relaxed a little as he had been ready to take her down if he needed to.

"So," T'mana said brightly. "Anyone up for watching Supernatural reruns?" She clicked the TVs on and found the WB. It took two commercial breaks, but everyone did manage to find a seat. T'mana noted that the turtles didn't stray too far from their duties and kept watch on the two girls, but the atmosphere did seem to relax a bit. She hoped things were going okay with her friends in the lab.

* * *

After years of being rich and having few people oppose her, Sandra walked right into the room where the two turtle creatures were without any hesitation. She saw that the one called Leo was disinfecting the wound. But his head swung in her direction and his hand flew to the handle of one of his swords as he turned to face her.

"I asked you to leave." He warned.

"Actually, you _told_ me to leave, but I was never very good at taking direction from others." She quipped. Leo narrowed his eyes.

"I don't have time for this." He whispered to himself, exasperated. Could one thing go right today? Sandra crossed her arms and Leo looked heavenward for a moment, asking for guidance and peace to calm his rising anger and frustration.

"Do you know how to successfully extricate a bullet and close the wound?" She inquired.

"No." Leo said. "But Don does, so he'll walk me through it. Please leave-" His words failed as she walked directly up to him and asked:

"Where's the sink?"

"What?" Leo was perplexed. Sandra let out a growl of annoyance and looked around. She found the sink , removed her blazer, and began to wash her hands. Leo and Don exchanged looks of incredulity. When she was done, she stepped right in front of Leo again.

"Now that your hands are clean," Leo gritted. "Please feel free to leave." He pointed to the door. She looked at Leo for a moment, her hands held in the air at shoulder height and bent at the elbows, like a surgeon. She looked away and turned to Don.

"Well, if it isn't my fan." She greeted and she swore she saw his green face darken with a blush. "Will you allow me to right this wrong?" She asked. Leo answered for him.

"Absolutely not. I think we've had enough of your interference today!"

"And what do _you_ think, Don? Would you rather walk your brother through a tricky procedure that holds the functioning of your arm in the balance? Or would you rather let a trained professional doctor with a veterinary degree and a specialty in exotic animals treat you?"

"Um…" Don mumbled.

"Your hesitation is enough for me." She opined. "If you had complete faith in your brother, you would have said so immediately." Even Leo was silent. She looked at Don again. "So, where are your instruments?" Don looked away as if warring some inner struggle, then finally pointed with his good arm to a tray across the room. "Have they been taken care of?" Don nodded.

"We have a dry heat sterilization oven, an autoclave." Don explained. Sandra's eyes went up in surprise and admiration.

"Impressive." She offered. Don shrugged and winced. She walked over and inspected the tools. "Would you please wheel that right over there where I can reach them while I work?" She gestured with her clean hands. Leo looked at Don and they seemed to exchange a look. Leo looked displeased, but wheeled the cart over. She inspected the tools and saw that all the standard surgical tools were there. "You guys get shot a lot?" She asked, eyebrows raised.

"We don't have a lot of fans." Don quietly revealed. Sandra felt a small stab of guilt and stuffed it down.

"I need you to lie down. I can't have you squirming on me." She looked back at the tray. "You don't happen to have any anesthetics, do you?" Don began to lie down as she had demanded and he pointed to a cabinet in the corner. She frowned.

"Tell your brother which one to grab."

"I'm right here." Leo snapped. Don told him what to grab and he got it from the cabinet and applied it as Don told him to.

"We'll let that sit a minute to take effect." She stated. "Interesting choice. This is going to be pretty invasive. You sure you don't want a stronger numbing agent? Maybe something to knock you out?"

"No!" Don and Leo cried at the same time.

"Okay, okay. I just asked. This is going to hurt like a bitch. I just wanted to make sure." A moment later, she touched his shoulder. "Feel that?" She asked.

"No." Don said, his voice was weary. Getting shot takes it out of you.

"Okay. I'm going in to pull out the bullet. You're really lucky this missed your plastron and just lodged in your shoulder. That's really good."

"We'll throw a parade later." Leo grated. She began the procedure and spoke each step aloud so both brothers knew what she was doing. First the incision, then spreading, then the search. Don's breath hitched several times and she wished he had chosen to be knocked out for this, but could understand his hesitation to do so. So she tried the next best thing. She knew it could take a little while to locate the bullet, extricate it and make sure nothing fragmented.

"So, what was that question you wanted to ask me?" She inquired tonelessly. "Something about the pack leaving the territory, wasn't it?" Don gaped at her. He realized what she was trying to do and was grateful. He needed the distraction from the pain.

"Yeah," He huffed. "Did you find that when the pack…was…" He winced as he felt the tweezers enter and tap against his shoulder bone. "in unfamiliar territory that it behaved defensively?"

"No." Sandra replied. "There is nothing defensive about the hyena. It is an aggressive animal and even more so when it feels threatened. However," She located the bullet. "There you are." She whispered to herself. Blood flecked her white satin blouse as she probed his wound, but she didn't seem to care. Her hands were also sanguine, but it didn't seem to affect her dexterity. "This is going to hurt." She warned. She took a clamp and grabbed it, then pulled it out. Don tried to stifle a cry as he felt it tug at his muscle. "Sorry." She said. She dropped the bullet and let it clatter to a stop on its own. She continued to look for any lose material. "The pack," she continued. "Doesn't leave as a whole. Once they stake out their territory, they protect it. Only dire circumstances cause them to leave. Like lack of prey for a long duration or natural disaster ruining the area. But typically, the cubs remain behind with some adults to watch them, while the hunters leave. All adults hunt. They don't bring anything back to their den. So the cubs nurse until they're old enough to hunt and get their own food." She picked up the clamp again and picked up the bullet to inspect it. "It doesn't look like this has anything missing from it. And I didn't see any debris in your wound, so I'm going to go through once more just to be sure and then close it up. Okay?"

"Yeah." Don agreed weakly. "I read that in your thesis. That hyenas hunt. They were mostly believed to be scavengers for a while."

"Oh, they are. They're opportunists. Waste not. But they can hunt and they're quite skilled at it, too. They have a sense for the weak ones and take them down." She was done looking in his wound and was now cleaning it. Don closed his eyes tightly, his breathing was stiff.

"That's most predators." He agreed. "Survival of the fittest, Darwin had it."

"Yeah…but Darwin is old school. Now it's survival of the cruelest. People. They're the worst predator." She had an edge to her voice as she doctored Don's shoulder. "People decide they really like ivory, so they murder an entire species of whale and rhino to get at it. Sickening." She had picked up the needle and thread. She held it up in front of Don and he nodded. She began to stitch. Her hands were quick and lithe. And while Don's view was limited, he was impressed by her precision and speed.

"Is that why you do what you do?"

"Hmm?"

"Save the hyenas?"

"Oh. Yes. People try to rid the world of something and I try to keep it around a little longer." She sighed. "I know it won't last. People will keep killing, but another generation will know the _hyena barbara _and that makes a difference, if only to me."

"You were going to purchase me." Leo intoned from behind her. Sandra hesitated with her stitch work for an instant.

"Yes." She agreed, but did not elaborate.

"What would you have done? If you had purchased me and I was delivered to you?" Sandra chuckled at the question.

"Leo, is it? You wouldn't have been delivered to me. I'm not stupid. I heard what she said out there. T'mana called you her friend. Meaning Stockman's lab was not the first place she saw you. I'm sure she had no intention of letting me see you. She probably would have made something up like, you escaped or died or something." Sandra fell silent. She had just come to a realization. "Oh my god." She murmured. Don's eyes widened.

"What?" he asked nervously.

"Oh, your shoulder's fine. But…" She finished stitching and swabbed it with antiseptic a few time before stepping away.

"But what?" Leo questioned, his voice low and dangerous.

"It was _you_, wasn't it?" She asked. She turned to face Leo and put her bloody hands on her hips, staining the bottom of her blouse again as well as her dress slacks. "T'mana said that she had run into some people that helped her. Then in there," Her hand gestured to the room T'mana was in. "She said that she owed you." Leo growled in frustration.

"She doesn't!" He refuted vigorously. He was frustrated that this topic was brought up again.

"Okay, but it was you, wasn't it? You guys helped her with the gunman."

"She told you about that?" Leo asked, his eye ridge rose in doubt. Sandra moved past him over to the sink again. This time to wash the blood from her hands from the surgery.

"Well, very vaguely. She just said that she ran, the gunman went after her, she ran into some people who helped her," Sandra gestured to both Leo and Don, water flicking from her fingers. "And that Guy wasn't there for her when she needed him after that, so she dumped him. Literally that was it, but I could tell that the whole event changed her." She looked at both of them as she finished and dried her hands on a towel, then pulled her blazer back on. It covered most of the blood stains, but there was still a prominent splash that looked crimson on her white blouse that the blazer could not hide. "You know, one of those life changing events that make you see things in a whole new perspective? I'm totally having one of those right now." She leaned against the wall and pinched her nose bridge to relieve the pressure. Don struggled to sit up. Before Leo could reach Don to help him, Sandra pushed away from the wall and pulled him up by the shell so as not to pull on his wounded shoulder. Don put a hand to his head as if to steady it and then looked at Sandra.

"Thank you." He stressed each syllable. She knew he was referring to the impromptu surgery.

"Yeah, well…glad I could help." She turned and stepped back. "You didn't lose very much blood, so you should heal pretty quickly. Just eat healthy and hearty for a while and you'll be fine. Your arm, of course, will be sore, but you can use it like normal because of where the wound is. Just be careful of the stitches." She nodded and stepped out of the room as if she hadn't just removed a bullet from a giant turtle. She walked out into an argument in progress.

"No freaking way!" Mikey was yelling. "I don't believe it!" O'Rourke was standing and glaring at him.

"Yes!" O'Rourke retorted. "Believe it!"

"There is no possible freaking way that a Wendigo could take a Vampire! No way!" Mikey argued.

"Wendigos are brute force and animalistic. A Wendigo would definitely beat out a Vampire. Hands down!" O'Rourke was firm.

"Vampires have preternatural strength AND they're human smart. Not animal smart. A Vampire would beat out a Wendigo by trapping it and sucking it to a pulp. There is no contest." Mikey was laughing arrogantly as his argument was clearly the winner.

"Whatever." O'Rourke said.

"Cha-ching!" Mikey said. "That sounds like I win. Shyeah! I told you!" O'Rourke shook her head in response.

"Debating with you is like arguing with a ten year old comic book junkie. You want to know the truth? The truth is I would kick the Wendigo and Vamp's ass. People always underestimate me."

"Yeah. Well believe me, I'm not giving you a second chance to beat my butt. I got your number and I could take you down."

"Is that a fact?"

"Yeah. Stone cold fact." Mikey bragged. Raph was enjoying the show. They had been arguing for like twenty minutes now. Far better than the show was.

"My money's on O'Rourke ." The techie said so only Raph could hear.

"You kiddin' me? My brother can take her. Easy."

"I don't know. I've seen O'Rourke in action. She's like…the Terminator with breasts. Nothing slows her down. In fact, this is the first time I've even seen her crack a smile."

"Yeah? Well Mikey can totally handle the fembot."

"What's your name?" She suddenly asked. Raph frowned at her.

"Why?"

"Don'tcha have one?" She asked. "The goofball over there is Mikey. The one shot is Don and the angry one is Leo." Raph smiled at that. Leo the angry one, that was a good one. "And you are…?"

"_I'm_ the angry one." He deadpanned. She nodded like she was sorry she asked and looked away towards Mikey and O'Rourke.

"I won't bother you anymore." She said quietly. He shrugged.

"All right, everyone just shut up." Ms. Grey shouted with authority. "Really inane argument, seriously. O'Rourke, Stefanopoulos. We're moving out." She walked around the couch to T'mana. She saw Stefanopoulos jump off the couch and move to O'Rourke. But she could still hear O'Rourke and the orange banded turtle arguing softly under their breath.

"T?" Sandra asked. "Let's go home, huh?" Leo and Don were standing in the doorframe of the lab behind the couch, but said nothing. If T'mana wanted to leave, they would not stop her, but they wanted to hear what she wanted before they strongly disagreed with her.

"Sandra…I…" She fell silent.

"T'mana…what is it?" T'mana started and stopped several times as if changing her mind. Suddenly, Leo knew what the problem was. He walked around the couch so T'mana could see him and she did look to him immediately.

"T'mana," He reassured. "You are welcome to stay with us as long as you need. But if you do prefer to leave, we'll understand." Both Leo and Sandra waited for T'mana to respond.

"I'm…going to stay here." She answered firmly.

"T! You can't!"

"She's made her decision." Leo remonstrated.

"Oh, as if you never argue." She turned back to T'mana. "T, you don't mean this. How can you think of staying here?"

"We know what we're up against." Leo fumed. "Do you?"

"Yeah!" Raph joined. "We know that crackpot scientist better than you do. No way he's gonna get through us. Can you say that?"

"Says the turtle who had his home broken into by MY team." Sandra spat.

"Oh, you'll pay for that, ma'am." Raph hit the button he knew would escalate things.

"Stop!" T'mana cried.

"Why you green freaking-"

"Oh, you're true colors are showin'." Raph grinned. "Go on. Call me freak again, you pointy eared-" Sandra gasped.

"I am not pointy eared. How dare you! At least you _are_ green!"

"All right, that's enough." Leo intoned.

"Stay outta this, Fearless." Raph shoved Leo away.

"You should listen to your brother," Sandra grated. "He's smarter and stronger than you."

"You bit-"

"Ms. Grey, I think this is a bad way to go-"

"Can it, Don!" Raph shouted, glaring at Sandra. "This bossy toothpick isn't gonna call me a freak."

"My but we are stuck on that word." Sandra mocked. "Is it because it's true? Can't handle the facts? I think you-"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! EVERYONE JUST SHUT THE FRICK UP!" And everyone did just that as they turned to see the petite blonde that had belted out the demand. "Holy frick on a stick!" She continued her rant. "T'mana, did you suffer any brain damage during the attack?"

"No!" She pouted, insulted at the question.

"Oh, no brain damage?" Stefanopoulos looked at Sandra pointedly. "So she's totally capable of making her own frickin' decisions! Can we please just get the frick out of here? She wants to stay, they want her to stay…it's decided!"

"Lyde," Sandra began.

"No!" Lyde continued. "It's decided. T'mana is a grown woman who's thinking clearly and has made a decision. Frick, even her mom trusts them!"

"My mom?" T'mana interrupted.

"Yeah." Lyde said. "I guess she talked with one of them or something and she's all going on about the turtle spirit or whatever." T'mana blushed. "Anyway, if THAT woman trusts them, the woman who has been ranting and raving about the safety of her daughter for a _week_, then I think we can all just call it a frickin' day and leave. I, for one, am tired of being glared at like I'm an idiot, so let's just beat it." Raph was staring at her with his face blank. She caught his stare and looked away immediately. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small black box. "Which one of you programmed the door?"

"Why?" Leo asked.

"Would someone just tell me who programmed the frickin' door? I am at my breaking point people! You do not want to see a geek freak out. It's not pretty! Now!" Don stepped forward.

"I did." She nodded and held up the black box. She made a show of getting ready to toss it and threw it underhand to him like an adult would toss to a child. Deliberately trying to make sure the he would catch it. Don did easily. "You'll know what that it is and what it can do. When we leave you can use it." Don nodded slowly. Lyde looked around. "But we have to leave first. So are we leaving? Or what?" She started to walk towards the door and waited when she noticed she wasn't being followed. She leaned against the wall roughly, showing her frustration. T'mana and Sandra were now discussing her mother and catching up on personal details, so Lyde rolled her eyes when she realized it would still be a few minutes and she had just been completely ignored. Raph sauntered over to where Lyde was leaning. She noticed him too late so she couldn't walk away without running into him.

"So," He began with a snide smile. "Guess you're the angry one in your group, huh?" He chuckled at his joke.

"No!" She barked. "I'm not. I hate when I get like this. I don't like myself this way. But with everything I've had to deal with today, this is where I'm at." She folded her arms again and looked away. Raph was about to make a snarky comment when he noticed two tears drop from her eyes. She was trying to hold it back, he could tell it was taking a lot and he suddenly felt like a jerk. He hadn't come over to upset her. He actually had a new respect for her since her outburst, but now he didn't know what to say or why it bothered him that she was crying. She was going to leave and that would be the end. He looked over and saw that Leo was now talking with Sandra and that O'Rourke was nodding her head. No doubt Leo was educating them about the dangers of Stockman and what to look for.

"Raphael." He said. She subtly wiped her tears away so she could turn to face him.

"What?" She sulked, still holding on to her anger.

"My name," Raph explained. "Is Raphael. Raph." She blinked at him. He folded his arms and leaned casually against the wall next to her. "So you're stressed, huh? Never met a giant mutant turtle before?"

"Well…not four at once." She smiled a little, but didn't look back at him.

"My brother's explaining the evils of Stockman." Raph continued, pointing towards the group and thinking that small talk might smooth things over. Again, he didn't know why he felt this was his responsibility, but he made the move anyway.

"So this could take a while?"

"Yeah, he's a bit of a bastard."

"I gathered as much. I can see what he did to her." Lyde nodded to T'mana.

"Stockman didn't do that directly. That's just his security." He looked over at Lyde. "Stockman's worse. Much worse."

"Worse? Jeez." She shivered involuntarily.

"Just keep away from him." He warned. "Don't go near him. What I wouldn't give to take that slime out. It would be a gift to the world if that shit bag died."

"I could find him." Lyde said confidently. "It's part of what I do."

"Hey!" He pushed away from the wall and grabbed her arm to make her face him. "You deaf? I just told you to stay away from him. If you don't wanna get dead or worse, that's what you'll do. Got it?" She stared at him. "I ain't playin' around. That guy is bad news."

"Okay!" She agreed, surprised at his sudden fervor. "Stockman bad. I got it." She pulled herself out of his grip.

"Whatever. Looks like your train's finally pullin' out of the station." He nodded to Sandra and O'Rourke who were approaching the exit.

"Everything okay?" O'Rourke asked.

"Yep." Lyde clipped. "Let's get outta here already." They all filed out, but Raph noticed that Lyde glanced back at him one more time before she turned the corner. He shook his head. He hoped she didn't do anything stupid. Then he realized what he was hoping and told himself he didn't give two flicks of his tail what she did or didn't do.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Here is where the language warning comes into effect and going forward. One of my OCs and a certain angry turtle we all know and love have gutter mouths. Enjoy!

Once everyone exited that did not belong in the lair, Donnie immediately went to the door with the black box the blonde had given him and went to work to scramble a new algorithm. Leo sat on the couch and put his hand to his forehead. His stress was so high, he didn't know where to begin to relieve it.

"Leo," T'mana said softly. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry?" He repeated softly. "You don't have to apologize because people care for you, T'mana." She didn't know what to say about that. "Don, don't bother." He called, seeing his brother at the doorway. "We can't stay here." His words fell like bricks on his brothers. He was met with a cacophony of dissent. They had all moved and were speaking several lines of thought all at once with their arms flailing to enforce their meaning. "Enough!" Leo's shout rang out sharply and silenced them all in shock. "We can't stay here." He repeated firmly. "I think you all know that. You don't have to like it. I don't, but we all saw what happened. We need to start scouting for a new home immediately."

"Leo," T'mana began. "Sandra's a really nice person once you get to know her. I know she comes off a bit extreme, but she's loyal. She would never-"

"Maybe," Leo comforted, cutting off her thought. "But what about the other two? Can you vouch for them? I know you don't know them yourself, only that Sandra employs them, too. T'mana, I can't gamble the safety of my family on them." He turned to Don. "Can you figure out how Lyde located us? I thought we were GPS proof? We'll also have to scale up the security. Apparently a key code isn't going to cut it anymore." Don's mouth thinned having been chastised on the sly. He was impressed with Lyde, but also resented that she seemed to have bested him.

"Don't take it too personal, Don." T'mana offered, reading his thoughts. "Sandra has a lot of money at her disposal and all the latest technology that isn't released to the public yet."

"I'd still like to pick her brain, though." Don mused. His tech interest had to take a back seat in his late teens when he and his brothers started getting more serious injuries. It became more important to keep them alive than tinker around, but he still was impressive with his gadgets. He believed, whether it was accurate or not, that if he had been able to focus on technology, Lyde wouldn't have stood a chance against his protective devices. But he had to be spread across several fields since his brothers couldn't carry the load the way that he could. Medicine took up most of his time because there were so many intricacies he had to be well versed in: stitches, anatomy, viruses and diseases, surgeries, anesthesiology and pain medication, blood science, the list went on and on. So he tried not to take it too personally when Leo backhanded him with Lyde's hacking skills.

"And she gave you that…um…thingy back." T'mana reminded. "So it seemed like she didn't want to keep your security down…right?" Don shrugged.

"It seems like a friendly gesture, but Leo's right. We can't assume. We'll have to relocate to make sure. But we definitely aren't going anywhere right now."

"We could go to April's. She let us stay the last time we were looking for new digs." Mikey chimed in.

"Yeah," Raph said. "I'm sure she'll love that. We don't have to go anywhere. We can totally take them." He folded his arms. "The only one mildly threatening was O'Rourke. And she's fresh outta sucker punches." Mikey blushed. Leo shook his head.

"Raph, I want you and Mikey to start scouting. Now. Don and I will pack our essentials. If you don't have anywhere by tomorrow, then we go to April's. No arguments." Leo looked directly at Raph who was clearly fuming. He walked up to Raph and spoke so only he could hear. "I don't want her to get hurt even more because she's in the middle of this, okay?" Raph's eyes flicked to T'mana who was watching them.

"Whatever." Raph muttered. Leo knew that Raph understood and would listen. At least for the time being.

T'mana knew she was too weak to be anything but a burden right now. She watched Mikey and Raph head out. Don went to the medical area, no doubt to start packing the supplies. Leo was left standing in the middle of the room. The weight of what just happened was pressing down on him. They had been discovered, uprooted and antagonized. He felt lost at sea and knew his crew was dependent on him to sail them home. But where was home now? He shook his head quickly as if to clear his mind and turned back to T'mana. He went over to her and sat down, taking a minute to let the events settle calmly in his mind. Then he pulled something out that he had kept in his belt and set her cell phone on the coffee table in front of her.

"You should call your mom." He said. "She was very worried about you." He started to get up, but T'mana put a hand on his knee. It was not a strong enough touch to force him to remain sitting, but it had the same effect.

"I'm so sorry, Leo. All of this…it's because of me…I wanted so much to avoid all of this for you. I tried so hard…"

"What do they say?" He mused aloud. He could feel the heat from her hand warm his skin and his heart at the same time. "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans?" He smiled softly. "Is this how I wanted things to work out? Not exactly. But I'm grateful for the things that did turn out the way I wanted. You're awake and okay and I'm out of Stockman's hands. Don's shot wasn't bad at all, just a flesh wound." He paused. "So, I'm going to focus on that and just do the best I can with the rest of it."

"Beautiful lies." T'mana said, her brow arched. "But I know you can't be so cavalier about being discovered. Or losing your home. I get the whole small victory mentality and take a win when you can get it, but if there's anything I can do, Leo. I mean it. I want to help fix this. I'm good at problem solving. I'm always getting Sandra out of trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" He asked self-righteously. "Mouthing off to the president?"

"If she met him, I have no doubt of it." T'mana laughed. "But she has no problem speaking her mind to officers of the law or airport personnel. She's gotten thrown off four airplanes since I started working for her. This is why I finagled a system with her designated airport. She's been flagged and the personnel have been briefed on her. I put out a lot of fires with her, so I bring order to her chaos. I think that's why we work so well."

"Well…I think the…uh…parameters you have to work with are very different with us." Leo asserted.

"True." T'mana admitted. "But I like a challenge." Her eyes twinkled and Leo noticed that her color had remarkably improved since they had started this conversation. He realized that she needed to feel useful.

"Well, then I think you got one. You don't happen to have sewer zoning maps, do you?" Leo joked. T'mana blinked.

"Actually…" She reached for her phone and started tapping the screen. "Wow." She said. "Really good 4G here."

"Yeah. Don kind of manufactured a tower for us. The shell cells, you remember."

"Wow…he is ridiculously ingenious." She kept tapping. "Found it." She held out the phone and Leo took it from her, unsure what to expect.

"Sewer zoning maps." He said surprised. "Well…you don't happen to have a million dollars?" he asked, trying his luck. T'mana made a show of patting her pockets and made an 'awww shucks' look.

"Sorry…"

"Had to try." He smiled serenely as he started to peruse the maps, scanning with expert eyes. "Hold up." He murmured to himself. He reached down and grabbed his shell cell then dialed out. "Mikey…hey, where are you guys?" Leo was moving the map on the phone. "Okay, I want you guys to take that tunnel north for about a mile and then take the tunnel on the left, by the trash mound. Right, call me when you get there and I'll tell you where to go from there. I have something I want you guys to check out. Looks like an underground storage area. Might work out for us...Got it. Leo out." He hung up the phone and looked back at the map. "Not that I want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but why in the world do you have these?" T'mana shrugged.

"I told you my boss was extreme, but she's also eccentric. She asked me to get these plans and I don't know why. She didn't tell me. But I keep everything, so there you go. "

"Okay…" He tapped a bit on the phone. "Well, I just emailed the plans to Don, so we have them now. Here." He held out the phone. "Seriously, call your mom or she'll have my shell."

"So…you talked to my mom?" T'mana asked as she took the phone from him.

"Yeah."

"Did it…go well?"

"As well as it could. Call her." He pointed to the phone to reiterate his direction. "We'll talk later." Leo began to move around the room, gathering things in his arms, but he didn't stray too far. T'mana had the feeling that he didn't want to leave her alone in case something happened. Like they were found again, but by Stockman or someone just as bad. She dialed and it only rang half a ring before her mother answered.

"Yes?" Her voice was nervous and expectant.

"Mom?"

"T'mana? Baby girl? Is that you?"

"Yes, Mom. I'm okay. I'm sorry I made you worry."

"Oh, Cante Washte, are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm pretty weak, though. I've been asleep for a while now. I have no energy."

"Where are you? I'm coming to you now."

"Mom…you can't do that." T'mana didn't know how to refuse, but knew that she had to.

"What are you saying? That a mother cannot see her sick daughter? Of course I can. Where are you, Cante?"

"Mom, it' a little more complicated than that. Soon, after a few days, I'm sure I'll be stronger and then you can come see me. But not right now."

"When you are stronger is not when you need me. You need me now. Please, T'mana. I just need to see your face. I need to see that you are all right."

"I'm sorry." T'mana was near tears and close to sobbing. "I'll call you tomorrow. I have to rest now. Toksha ake." T'mana ended the call and set the phone down gently, reverently on the table. Leo didn't know what to say. There was nothing he could say, to make this better for T'mana. He placed the items he had gathered in his arms in a box he found in Don's lab. He sat down next to T'mana on the couch again.

"T'mana," He began.

"Please don't." She begged quietly. "I don't think I can bare one more apology for what that bastard has done to us." Leo widened his eyes in surprise at her blunt anger. "And you have nothing to apologize for. Everything you do, everything you've ever done, is right." She leaned back slowly, allowing her spine to rest on the cushion and take some pressure off her torso.

"Could you tell Raph that?" Leo smirked.

"I'll consider it. If I want to be on the business end of one of his knives."

"Nah…he'd never slice you. Punch you, maybe. Probably in the jaw." He fisted his hand and tapped her left jaw. "Right there."

"That would suck. That's like the one spot I'm not bruised." She chuckled and Leo sobered, letting his hand fall slowly back to the couch as he looked away. Awkward silence fell. Luckily, his shell cell rang.

"Leo." He said.

"Dude, I know. I called you, remember?" Leo sighed.

"Yes, Mikey?"

"We're here. Where do you want us to go now?"

"Right." Leo stood abruptly and went to Don's computer in the other room. He looked up the map and relayed the directions. He could hear Raph griping in the background, but Mikey said they would check it out and get back to him. Leo hung up the phone and hoped that his gut instinct would work out.

* * *

Raph grumbled while Mikey twirled his nun chucks and whistled through the tunnels.

"Can it, Tuneless." Raph smacked Mikey behind the head and Mikey didn't lose his stride walking or with his chucks. His whistle, however, did stutter.

"Hey," he whined. "I'm not tuneless. I totally got tune."

"Where the hell does he have us going?" Raph growled. "I feel like we been walkin' for days in circles. Go left, go left, go left, go right, go left. What the hell?" He chuffed with frustration.

Raph pulled out his sais and stabbed, seizing one of Mikey's chucks from the air and yanked it away, irritated. "Enough already. I want get to this damn place and get back. Oh, I seriously need to bust some heads. Stockman is goin' down for this. No one takes my damn home and gets away with it."

"Stockman doesn't know where we are. Just those chicks do."

"Yeah, but he's the reason that those chicks do. Besides, I'm pissed at him already so, I'll just really give'im hell when I finally see that snarky bas-" Raph's words stopped as he came to a tunnel hole that was fed from other tunnels. "Hey, brainless."

"Tuneless." Mikey corrected politely.

"Yeah, that, too. Isn't this where Leo said?" Mikey squinted and stuck his tongue out, recounting the directions.

"Yep. This is it. Wonder what we're supposed to see?" Raph huffed. Just like his brother. Make them do all the legwork on a wild goose chase.

"Nothin'. There's nothin' here, Mikey. Leo's gonna get his ass-"

"Wait, look over here!" Mikey pointed and ran toward something shining against the wall.

"What's that?" Raph asked, his curiosity peaked.

"Dunno. It almost looks like a thermostat thingy."

"Does it got a dial on it?"

"No. But it's got a button."

"Mikey, don't-" Mikey pushed the button, his tongue sticking out in thought. The metal device started to blink, flashed five times, and then stopped. They heard a 'ding' and watched as two elevator doors opened up. They had been painted to resemble the sewer wall. And with the dank lighting, it hadn't been discernable until they opened. "Riiiggght." Raph said. He pulled out his sais and kept them at the ready. Mikey stepped in.

"Going down?" He asked. Raph shrugged and stepped in, too.

"What the hell." Raph challenged. "I'll go down swingin', that's for sure." Mikey smiled.

"Raph! You made a punny. I'm so proud of you!" He hugged his brother as Raph pushed him away.

"Get off, ya idiot! Get your chucks ready!" Mikey did as commanded and the doors opened. "Oh, shell." Raph whispered. "Mikey, get us outta here. Now." Raph's quiet, serious voice made Mikey act without question. He hit the button and they began to go back up.

"What did you see, Raph?" Mikey asked.

"Explosives. Tons of explosives." Mikey's eyes widened. "And Foot ninja."

"Crap! What do we do?" Raph's mouth thinned.

"I don't know." The elevator opened and they stepped out silently and began to make their way back. "Wait." Raph said, raising a hand. "You hear that?" Mikey tilted his head, trying to listen.

"No." He said. Raph turned and softly went back the way they had come, towards the elevator.

"This is where it's coming from. I'm sure of it now." Came a soft voice. It was a whisper and it wasn't Raph or Mikey. Raph palmed his forehead. It was Lyde.

Without thinking, Raph stepped out and blocked Lyde's path. She squeaked, just like she had before when Raph frightened her.

"What the shell do you think you're doin'?" Raph whisper yelled. "When you were born, did you forget to wait in the Common Sense line? Cause you seem to be missin' your share!" O'Rourke stepped from the shadows, gun pulled. Raph glanced at her, but saw Mikey come out as well.

"We meet again, mwah ha ha." Mikey teased. O'Rourke rolled her eyes and returned them to Raph.

"Lyde said she saw a weird signal."

"And you decided to follow it? Just you two?" Raph wanted to smack both of them so hard they sailed up onto the surface and got picked up by a cab and driven to the airport.

"I think it's Stockman." Lyde said confidently. Trying desperately to appear as confident as she sounded. She failed.

"What did I tell you about him?" Raph sputtered furiously. "You think this is a game?"

"No, but you are amusing." Lyde mocked with false bravado, her quivering hands giving her away.

"Get the fuck outta here. I mean it. I don't want to see you or you," He pointed at Lyde then O'Rourke. "down here ever again. I'll walk you to the nearest manhole." He gestured behind O'Rourke. He walked toward Lyde, believing that she would crumble at his approach and he could herd them away. He was surprised, because she didn't. She couldn't look at him, but she held her ground.

"Wait." She begged. "You don't understand-"

"No, you don't understand. I don't need a geeky wisp of a chick like you, tryin' to be the Last Starfighter. This is real life, not some computer role game or whatever you call them. So just go home and talk to your Captain Kirk bobblehead complainin' how the mean nasty turtle ruined your fun." Lyde pressed her lips together in frustration and seemed to take a breath.

"Yes, I'm a geek. I get it. If you keep hitting the same joke home, that makes you the loser."

"Listen, small fry, we do not have time to babysit-"

"No one's asking you to!" Lyde shouted in a hushed , shrill voice. "I can take care of myself and you know she can." Lyde gestured behind her and O'Rourke raised her head as if asking Raph to challenge that assertion.

"Okay, everyone can take care of themselves. Go adulthood! But seriously, we need to get out of here, like pronto, dudettes." Mikey looked at O'Rourke. "Can we just peacefully get you ladies to the surface and finish this argument another time?" O'Rourke frowned, but not with anger.

"No," She said. "Lyde said-"

"Wow, she's says a lot for someone shakin' like a leaf." Raph warned. "I betcha she doesn't say anything else now." He took another step toward Lyde and she hated herself for it, but she did step back. "Now, do you go up the easy way," he pointed in the direction of the manhole cover. "Or the fun way?" He shook his sais. "I'm hopin' for the fun way, 'cause I got a lot of aggression I need to vent." He grinned wickedly. Lyde blinked and stepped forward.

"You know what I think?" She knew she was all bluster, but hoped her words backed her up. "I think you're all talk. I don't think you'll hurt us, because we're not actually posing a threat to you right now."

"You willin' to bet your life on that?" His grin widened. She looked at him, straight in the eyes.

"Yes." She said simply. "So, if I'm wrong, you'll punch me in the nose or something. But if I'm right, and I think I am, you'll just hurl more insults while not actually doing anything." Mikey laughed and Raph tossed a glare his way.

"Oh, dude. She's totally got you pegged!"

"Mikey…I have no problem kickin your shell later." Mikey fell silent, but his smile remained.

"Okay, Frau Freud, since you got me all figured out, what do you make of this?" He grabbed her arm and started to move her into a position where he could pick her up and carry her. But they were interrupted by the 'ding' sound that made Raphael and Michelangelo freeze, while the two ladies looked around for the source of the sound. Raph reacted first. He grabbed Lyde, placed a hand over her mouth and he dragged her into the side tunnel into the shadows. Mikey grabbed O'Rourke's arm and nodded toward the tunnel and they both melted into the shadows.

"Shhh." Raph whispered to Lyde very quietly as they heard footsteps approach. Lyde had been struggling until she heard the sound and froze, she breathed as lightly as she could. Once Raph knew she would be quiet, he released her mouth from his hand and signaled to Mikey, who was in a better position to see. Mikey shook his head and they waited. After about two minutes of an endless flow of footsteps, they started to fade. Raph signaled again to Mikey, who nodded. He silently slipped out and did some quick reconnaissance. Mikey slipped back in and seemed to have an entire conversation through hand gestures with Raph. Raph nodded that he understood and they waited a moment more. Finally, Mikey nodded and Raph stood and indicated the girls should go as well. He held his finger to his mouth again, and led them silently out of the tunnel toward the manhole. They had almost reached it, when a voice called to them.

"I had something on our sensors, but I assumed it was rats." Stockman grinned. "Imagine my surprise when my security said they saw two turtles in the elevator. I just had to handle this myself. Things get so messy up when you leave it to others. Don't you find?" Stockman stepped into the light. "Oh, but we have more guests. How charming!" He saw that each turtle had gripped a girl's arm to lead them. "More willing subjects." He steepled his hands. "The blonde…yes, I think the blonde will look good with tentacles. What do you think? Crossed with a squid or an octopus…?" Raph stepped forward, blocking his view of Lyde.

"Oh, just give me a reason, Stockman. I am so ready to take out the trash." His sais were out. Stockman's eyes gleamed.

"Maybe not tentacles…but something mammalian. Maybe I can crossbreed the old fashioned way. She might even survive the mating…"

"Arrrgh!" Raph dove forward. "Shut your filthy mouth, you fuckin' bastard!" Several Foot ninja stepped out and Raph came to a halt, with a glare. "S'matter, Stockman? Can't fight your own battles? I'll grease all of them and leave you a stain on the floor."

"Actually, I think all of you will join me at my lab for some fun and games." Raph heard Mikey's nun chucks and knew that they were surrounded.

"O'Rourke, you wanna get in on this?" Raph called out.

"Oh, yeah. I'm so in." Lightning-quick she pulled her gun and rapid shot six bullets, all hitting a different Foot ninja. Mikey chucked and spun, weaving his way through the Foot crowd and collapsing them as he went. Lyde ducked into a corner and was pulling something out with wires. Raph saw two Foot ninja advancing toward her and he jumped in, making quick work of them.

"Mikey, how many did you see leave?"

"Dude, you don't want to know."

"Shit." Raph muttered. O'Rourke had to kneel down to re-load. Raph covered her and saw two more ninja going for Lyde. "Damn it." He cursed. "Mikey!" He nodded towards Lyde, but three Foot circled Mikey. "O'Rourke, let's pick up the pace!"

"Done!" Raph ran towards Lyde without further encouragement, but saw the two Foot ninja flying past him in the air as if they had been flung. Lyde came out of the corner with a thick wand. "The hell…?" Raph murmured.

"I like electricity." Lyde said, grinning. Raph couldn't help but grin in return as he pointed in the direction that she should retreat. Raph now worked his way to Mikey, covering his back.

"How many?" Raph asked.

"Too many. We need to blow, Raph. We gotta call it." Raph hated to call retreat, but they needed to get out of there.

"I'm callin' it. The willows?"

"You got it, bro. Meet you there." Raph tapped his sai to Mikey's chuck and the deal was struck. He saw Mikey dance his way through and get O'Rourke. Raph followed, and nodded for Lyde to follow him. She did.

"Get in front." Raph commanded. Lyde ran in front of him now that the Foot were trying to follow. He knocked a throwing star away with his sai and held them off while she ran ahead. She realized he wasn't behind her and she stopped, looking for him. "Get outta here!" He shouted. "I will kill you myself!" She hesitated and saw he was going to shout again, then ran and turned the corner. He held the Foot for a while and then took flight on his own. He made sure to turn the other direction so he could lose the Foot and not lead them to Lyde. After several minutes of dodging tunnels and circling back, he began to silently slink through the tunnels to see if he could find her again. He walked for a while in this way until he heard a very subtle sound. He wouldn't have heard it unless he was listening for it: breathing. He followed it and found himself suddenly on his shell as his feet were swept from under him. He felt a large stick press to his throat, but he immediately, flipped forward, knocking the person back into the wall, he had his sai at their throat in seconds.

"Raphael?" Came the whisper. He was looking at Lyde.

"Jeez! The fuck you think you're doin?" He growled. "I was gonna kill you." He indicated the sai at her throat and lowered it. She smiled and tapped him with the baton that was still apparently at his throat.

"I woulda knocked you on your shell again first." She said. "I thought you were them. They're real quiet, like you."

"Ninja." Raph shrugged. "C'mon. This way." He pulled away and expected her to follow him. She did. "The hell is that thing, anyway?" He accused.

"It's what I call my lightning stick. It gives out three times the volts of shock that a police stunner does. That's why they fly."

"You design that?"

"All nerds can. I got lots of gadgets. They kinda fill the gap of my not being able to fight so well."

"Yeah, well, gadgets or not, you coulda got killed just I like I said you would. You got a death wish? Did I not tell you Stockman was a maniacal fuckhead?"

"You did." She assented. "And yet, I did not truly believe…" She seemed shocked at some of the things Stockman had said, but didn't continue.

"Well, I hope now you do. Cause that shit he was sayin' isn't a load of bull. He's that sick." Lyde remained silent and Raph took that to mean she felt properly chastised.

"Good. No more bein' stupid. That's a fuckin' order."

"The reason I came out this way was because my sensors picked up unusual readings."

"Yeah, your brain waves. Idiot." He muttered.

"No, Raphael." She grabbed his arm to get him to stop. "Fulminated mercury." Raph looked at her a moment and then continued to walk on. "That substance is a highly unstable and a volatile explosive." She explained.

"I know what it is. I have a geek for a brother. 'Sides, I saw it. There's tons of that shit down there. That's why I wanted you to fuckin' leave. But do you listen? No! You argue with me until my enemy is out in force to kick our asses."

"You knew it was there?" She asked, bewildered.

"Did I stutter?"

"Did you put it there?" Raph stopped walking and swung around to face her, intimidation leaking from his pores.

"Well, let me think." He put his finger to his chin in mock thought. "Would I put tons of explosive shit within walkin' distance of my home and family? Hmmm…what the hell do you think? What, the flash mob of ninjas didn't tip you off that maybe someone else put it there?"

"Are you done monologueing? Because if you are, then I can tell you I know how to render the substance inert." Raph took a deep breath and clenched his fists. He let the breath out.

"Inert?" He focused on that part of her sentence.

"It means-"

"I know what it means! Just because I'm a mutant turtle does not automatically make me a fuckin' moron!"

"Okay. Just like being a nerd doesn't automatically make me one. I'm not exactly defenseless." She tapped her stick. "So why don't we both stop assuming the other is stupid and go from there?" Raph huffed and began to walk again.

"How?" he grunted.

"I'm going to assume you mean how do I render it inert and not how you'll stop assuming I'm an idiot."

"How?" He repeated, exasperated.

"Well, I have this device. I'm not exactly sure about the how…"

"So you don't know how to make it inert. You're a fountain of information."

"I can make it inert; I just don't know how it does. I have this device that was designed to do just that. See, Ms. Grey isn't my only boss. I work lots of projects and on this one team, someone figured out how to render fulminated mercury inert by some kind of wave. I think it's supposed to disable your enemy's igniter substance. Making their bombs useless."

"Okay…I'm gonna repeat your own words: highly unstable and volatile explosive. I think the 'how' and the 'why' in this case, is pretty damn important." He shook his head. Lyde fell silent and followed him.

"We've passed several manholes." She observed.

"Not worried about your partner?" Raph grated.

"O'Rourke? She can handle herself just fine. I think she's indestructible. Like gum."

"Gum?"

"Ever try to destroy gum? You can't. You can even burn it, but it just gets tougher. That's definitely O'Rourke ."

"Anyway…" Raph said. "We're meetin' up with her and my brother."

"Oh. Okay." Raph rolled his eyes. He hoped Mikey was at least having a less annoying time.

* * *

O'Rourke had no problem losing the Foot and keeping up with Mikey. They both made it to the willows, which was the cute way of saying the area with all the broken, hanging cables. They looked like electrical weeping willow wisps drooping down from the tubing. The wiring had been stolen long ago, so it was just empty plastic tubing now.

"Charming." O'Rourke said as she lifted some tubing with her gun nozzle.

"Yeah, it's home." Mikey grinned. He took a quick survey and put his nun chucks in their holster. As O'Rourke was doing a visual sweep, she holstered her guns. She felt that the orange banded turtle warranted the respect of not holding a weapon on him. That didn't mean she trusted him.

"So," She began good-naturedly. "You got some moves on you, Green." Mikey smiled triumphantly as he turned to her.

"Awww, are you admitting I'm top dog?" O'Rourke snorted.

"I'll admit you're a dog." She offered.

"Weak, dudette." Mikey shook his head. "I know you're just basking in the awesomeness that is me. I totally chucked them up!" O'Rourke allowed a nod in acknowledgement. "Sweet…you know I'm awesome, shyeah!" She rolled her eyes.

"There was this one thing you did…" She was almost embarrassed to bring it up.

"Just one? Of the many rockin' moves I did?"

"It started like…and then it kinda…" She tried to mimick the move; she was ignoring Mikey, trying to recall his image in her mind as he did the move.

"Oh…I know what you mean." His voice rose with understanding. "Here," He took the crook of her elbow and positioned it and he moved her other arm. "Now like, turn your foot inward a bit, like you're hanging ten on a surf board. Then you can pop this one up!" He grabbed behind her knee and pulled to show how the weight would balance.

"Whoa!" She cried at the unexpected tug. But she stabilized pretty quickly and took in her position. Mikey raised an eye ridge.

"Think you got it?" He challenged. O'Rourke narrowed her eyes. Mikey released her knee and waited. She took a breath and then very quickly reproduced the move, extending her leg, just missing Mikey's head. "Yep." He said. "You got it." She smiled and lowered her leg.

"You like being a teacher, don't you? Makes you feel all smug." She teased.

"I like to impart my genius upon the lesser beings," Mikey agreed genially.

"Oh my god." O'Rourke rolled her eyes. "You're very into yourself, aren't you?" Mikey shrugged.

"Someone's gotta be." He answered simply and O'Rourke fell silent. It had to be tough being what he was. Lonely. No wonder he was a great fighter. He needed something to focus on. Several minutes passed.

"Raphael, the red one, he knows where to meet up with us, right?" O'Rourke was nervous. She wasn't friends with Lyde. O'Rourke didn't really do the whole friend thing. Most people wrote her off as arrogant and distant and she didn't bother to correct them. But O'Rourke liked Lyde. She was quirky and damn smart.

"Yeah. He picked the spot. I'm sure he's just leadin' the Foot the other way to get Lyde a good head start."

"I've never heard that phrase before."

"What phrase?"

"Leading the foot the other way. What is that like, taking the scenic route or something?" Mikey chuckled.

"Nah…the Foot clan. That nasty mass of ninjas we fought. They're called the Foot clan."

"Oh. Interesting name. But I get what you're saying now." Awkward silence fell again. Mikey decided to let it ride since O'Rourke seemed to be more vocal when she started the conversation. He wasn't disappointed. "So…can I ask a really personal question?"

Mikey looked over at O'Rourke. She had crouched down on her haunches and was inspecting one of her guns. Mikey was leaning against the wall.

"You can ask." He permitted. O'Rourke didn't look up.

"I don't mean it to be rude…" She continued, uncharacteristically soft.

"Ahhh," Mikey uttered knowingly. "I know the question you want to ask. Everyone ends up asking it." O'Rourke looked up to see if he was angry. "You want to know…what my sign is, don't ya?" He nodded sagely. She stared at him a moment before barking out a laugh, and then she clapped her hand over her mouth and looked around, bewildered. She stood and let her eyes survey and her ears listen for danger. Mikey squinted. "You always on duty?" He asked.

"Not always, but when a hundred ninja attack me in a sewer, I tend to keep my guard up."

"Fair enough." He paused. "It's Sagittarius." He whispered conspiratorially. She rolled her eyes, but allowed a ghost of a smile to curve her lips. She didn't attempt to ask again. Mikey waited, but when she remained silent he spoke.

"Hey, I was just crackin' a joke. What was your question?" He asked earnestly. O'Rourke shook her head.

"Never mind." She sat down again and went back to inspecting her gun.

"Can I ask you one?" O'Rourke raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know, can you?"

"Why do you work for Ms. Grey? I mean, the thing with T'mana was kind of a weird scenario, you know? I mean, aren't you kind of overkill?"

"I'm not allowed to discuss my contract with Ms. Grey."

"I wasn't asking about a contract. I was asking about you." She looked up at him, surprised to hear sincere wit and intelligence.

"I'm not overkill. I'm necessary."

"Why?"

"There are a lot of jerks in this world." O'Rourke intimated.

"Gee, does Ms. Grey have a problem with jerks?" he mocked. "She's so easy to get along with."

"Ms. Grey is an excellent and attentive employer."

"Oh. Robot O'Rourke's back." She was on her feet instantly.

"You. Don't. Know me." She gritted. Mikey shrugged.

"Who's fault is that?" She swept her hand back and intended to slap him, but he caught her by the wrist deftly. He twisted her arm behind her back and pushed her up against the wall all using only one of his own hands. Her cheek was pressed to the wall as he spoke. "Just because I'm talking to you and didn't let the Foot kick your cute butt, doesn't make us friends. I only let angry friends slap me. I haven't forgotten what you did to Don. If you give me a reason, I will take you down." He pushed her away, but not roughly. Just enough to let her know how he felt. She didn't move away from the wall, and didn't try to get revenge for his action.

"I'm sorry about your brother." She finally said. "It seems we had wrong information." Mikey snorted.

"Wrong information? Wrong information is, like, when you mess up someone's phone number when you write down. This was a blind attack. You didn't bother trying to sort out friendly fire."

"The information we had to go on was legit!" O'Rourke defended. "T'mana was missing and her last point of contact was a man that not only she, but Ms. Grey, suspected had shady dealings. So when we located her, we believed she was being held by Stockman and his men. T'mana distinctly told Ms. Grey that she thought animal experimentation was going on. So when I entered that cavern and saw four mutated giant turtles made of 100% muscle with samurai weapons strapped to their shells, I sort of assumed that Stockman managed to engineer some pretty heft security. So I don't regret my actions. I handled the situation the best I could with the information I had, you ninja bastard." Mikey had listened to the rant patiently.

"100% muscle, huh?" He grinned and twitched his eye ridges suggestively.

"Oh my god!" O'Rourke shouted, furious. "Is everything a joke to you?"

"If you're not laughin', you're not livin'." He drawled.

"Well, life is not a joke."

"You better hope I keep thinkin' it is. Or I'll turn into Raph and want to beat everyone down. And I would seriously kick your butt if you really think that Stockman had a hand in creating this magnificence." He gestured to himself.

"Yes, I know. You're so awesome." She derided. "The only reason your brother got shot to begin with is because you took a gamble when he was behind you within weapons range. You never take a shot that could incapacitate your team!" She shouted. "You have to be aware of your surroundings and know where everyone is at all times. If you don't, then you don't take the shot. That's when people die!"

"Are you saying I'm the reason Don was shot? Not the fact that your finger squeezed the trigger on the gun?" Mikey was incredulous.

"You knew I was the enemy." She broke it down. "You knew I was capable of firing the weapon. That's all you knew about me. So trying some peacock move to save the day was a risk that you took. End of story. You had to assume I would retaliate if you attacked. If you didn't think I would, then you're far more idiotic than I originally estimated." Mikey was shaking he was so angry. He wasn't used to anger. He didn't like it. He had never hit a woman, but he imagined his fist meeting her jaw at high speeds. "I guess what I'm saying is, that we both made bad decisions with the information we had." O'Rourke sighed. "I only hope that hasn't happened to the other two. Where are they?" Mikey sobered immediately at that thought.

"Raph can handle it." He reassured her. She looked over to him with slight gratitude and it warmed Mikey a little more to her.

"Lyde's no slouch, either. Little twig had my back a few times." O'Rourke smiled in memory.

"That little blonde?" Mikey asked.

"That's what everyone thinks." She smiled. "And they're dead wrong. I've worked with her a few times. I was pleased when Ms. Grey hired her as well."

"And you're Ms. Grey's security?" O'Rourke nodded once in acknowledgement.

"I've never been bested on a job." She said proudly. "Until today." Mikey's eyes widened at her acknowledgement. "No one has ever been able to get my gun from me before." He could tell she was disappointed in herself at being shown up. Mikey decided to throw her a bone.

"Well, we did have shock value on our side."

"Your shocking awesomeness?" O'Rourke asked.

"You know it!" Mikey grinned. "So, does Ms. Grey own, like, a chick company or something? Only women work for her! I need to get a job like that." He grinned.

"Ms. Grey does tend to lean toward female employees." She answered vaguely.

"Oh! Is she battin' for the other team?"

"No." Was all the answer he received.

"Uh-huh. So how come no men? Does she think we're all dumb or something?"

"I really can't-"

"Discuss your contract with Ms. Grey. Yeah, yeah. Just asking a friendly question. Can't I get a friendly answer?"

"I…can't. I'm sorry."

"Hey!" Came a new rough voice. Raph. "So you both survived and didn't kill each other. Progress! Me, too. I didn't kill her, either." Raph pointed to Lyde. O'Rourke went right up to Lyde.

"You okay?" she asked the petite blonde.

"Yep." No emotion.

"Alright, let's get them outta here so we can go home and ream Leo a new one for sending us on that damn hike." Raph commanded. Mikey took over.

"There's a manhole just over here." He pointed. "It's in a safe part of the city so you ladies can catch a cab pretty quick and go home safely." O'Rourke was nodding, knowing that had been the plan once Lyde was back.

"No." Lyde said. Raph wanted to slam her into the wall until her bones were dust. She was really grating on his last nerve.

"We ain't askin." Raph growled, turning on her. She didn't even flinch. She was tired. All that fighting and walking and intimidation had worn her out. She didn't have enough in her to be afraid.

"I need to talk to your brother." She stated simply.

"Why?" Mikey asked.

"I need to speak to another geek." Mikey smiled.

"You mean, Donnie. He's definitely that. But what do you need his geekspertice on?

"Rendering fulminated mercury inert."

"Of course. The girls are always asking him that." Raph smacked Mikey behind the head.

"Shaddup! No one's talkin' to anyone! You two are goin' home up there and we are goin' home down here. Which, of course, won't be home much longer because you two lovely ladies broke into it. So, thanks. I'm homeless, pissed off and ready to kick some-"

"Then just do it already!" Lyde complained. "My gosh! I'm so sick of hearing how ticked off you are! You know you scare the pee out of me, so just hit me and let's move on! I won't be waiting for it anymore and you'll be happy 'cause you finally hit something. It's win frickin' win, so just do it. Right here." She tapped her chin and closed her eyes as if waiting for it to land. She waited a moment, and then peeked through one eye. Raph was fuming and his glare could melt metal. It made her quake and she hated herself in that moment. Allowing herself to be afraid of him.

"What's the matter?" She taunted, unsure where her bravado was coming from. "I thought you were 'pissed off'. Do you need some motivation?"

She timidly stepped up to him and in a burst of anger and idiocy, lightly shoved him. He barely moved. His eyes narrowed. It would have been funny, like something out of Monty Python, except Raph looked like fire was ready to spew from his mouth.

"Ya know? A nice 'thank you' woulda been appreciated. 'Thank you, Raphael for not lettin' Stockman juice me up with octopus DNA.' Or maybe, 'thank you, Raphael for not lettin' the Foot smear me into the pavement.' But no, I get 'just hit me already.'" He mimicked her light push and she was forced back several steps. Lyde paled and lowered eyes.

"Thank you." She said. "For not letting Stockman juice me up with octopus DNA." Her voice was very low and soft. Raph threw up his hands, assuming it was a sarcastic reply.

"I'm done! Mikey, you get her the hell outta here 'cause she is pissin' me off. And I will take her up on her offer if she keeps it up."

"Would he really have done that?" She asked, her voice a whisper. Raph paused, gathering his patience, of which he had very little.

"I keep tellin' you. Stockman is a sick twisted bastard. And yes, he would have." Raph's voice was low, but as calm as he could make it. Mikey joined in.

"Yeah," He agreed. "We've seen his handy work, dudette. It's not cool. I mean, we turned out pretty awesome for mutations, but Stockman's experiments…if they survive, they don't want to." O'Rourke wrinkled her nose and Mikey nodded solemnly.

"Then I really need to speak with Don." Lyde insisted. Raph slapped a hand to his forehead. "I can help." She insisted softly. "You helped me, let me help you." Raph shook his head before lifting his hand from it. "Look, you still have the problem with the fulminated mercury regardless. If I bounce my idea off Don, then it might be a quicker solution. If he says 'no', then I'll trust what he says. But why won't you even try? Are you such an egotist that you won't accept help from someone like me?"

"Are you still insultin' me?" Raph asked, flabbergasted. "I don't believe you!"

"Offer still stands." She said, smiling and pointing at her chin. He thinned his lips and took a breath.

"Don't tempt me." She tapped it again at his words.

"My gift to you." She said. "I can take it." She tilted her head as if to offer her chin as a more accessible target. Raph stepped forward and she closed her eyes again in anticipation of the blow. He gripped her chin and squeezed making her mouth into a fish face. She opened her eyes in surprise, but took her punishment.

"I'll take you to Don, but his word is law. You got it? He says 'no', this ends. No arguments. No sneakin' back in with your doohickeys trying to solve it yourself. No hirin' GI Jane over here to watch your back either. Do I make myself clear?" She nodded her fishface. He teasingly pushed her face away. "Good. Mikey, it's late. Use your shell cell to order pizza. I'm starvin'."

**A/N: I have no idea when the turtles were born, so I just guessed at Mikey's sign based on his fun loving personality. Sagittarius signs are supposed to be vivacious, exuberant, adventurous and optimistic, so I went with this sign for him.**

**Cante Washte: Literally means 'Good Heart' in Lakota, but can be translated as Dear Heart. FYI, I know Washte is typically spelled Waste in the anglicized version, but for the similarity to the English word, I changed the spelling to avoid confusion. Also, an fyi that 'C' is usually pronounced as 'ch' and 'S' is usually pronounced as 'sh'.**

**Toksha Ake: See you later in Lakota (or we'll meet again)**


	10. Chapter 10

Leo made T'mana more soup and gave her a pillow to prop the bowl on.

"Thanks." T'mana said as she grabbed the spoon with her good hand. She lifted a shaky spoonful, but made it all the way to her mouth. She moaned with pleasure and victory as the warm broth trickled down her throat. She felt the heat of it all the way down and it felt so good. Leo chuckled.

"Glad you like it. Mikey's recipe."

"Homemade is always the best." T'mana complimented. She took another spoonful. "I'm ravenous." She sounded surprised. Leo chuckled again.

"You always seem amazed that you're hungry." Leo teased with a full smile. He seemed to be more relaxed than he had ever been in her presence before. More willing to smile and engage in conversation without the aid of alcohol. T'mana hoped he didn't change his mind. She caught the reference to the first night they met, where he, once again, gave her soup after getting injured.

"I'm not used to feeling it." T'mana said. "I eat pretty steadily, but lightly. So this is a very strange sensation."

"Really?" Leo's eyebrows rose. "I get hungry all the time. Especially after training. I feel like I could eat the entire contents of the lair sometimes."

"Well, I'm on a pretty regular routine." T'mana shrugged. "I'm uh…a bit…regimented."

"I remember." His eyes twinkled. "Changed all your address information right away. Lined up all your canned or bottled items in even rows with the label facing out and centered. All your towels in the bathroom are hanging at exactly the half way mark on the hanger." T'mana blushed. "You don't have to be embarrassed." He assuaged. "Everyone has their vices. Nothing wrong with being neat and organized." He shrugged. "I have to have all my books on my shelf ordered first by date, that it was written, not necessarily the publisher's date, then by topic, then by author. I know right away when I walk into my room if someone borrowed something and didn't put it back right. It's like…I don't know. Like something is misaligned in me or something."

"I know!" T'mana gushed, relieved that someone understood. "It feels like it's a completely different room, right? Like that one item out of place skewed everything." She took another spoonful. Leo thought for a moment.

"Yes, that's exactly it. I couldn't put my finger on why it felt so weird." He shook his head. "At least it's not just me."

"Definitely not. But I think you're more patient than I am, having to live with your brothers and all. I was an only child, so sharing a space is not something I can easily do."

"Oh, it's not easy. Believe me. It's a good thing I learned meditation. It brings peace and order to a chaotic mind." T'mana quirked at this.

"Really?" She became pensive. "How does it work?"

"I could show you sometime, if you like. After you recuperate."

"That would be very nice. Are you sure?" Leo smiled.

"It would be my pleasure." T'mana resumed eating her soup and Leo looked at the clock.

"Are they late?"

"I don't know. I didn't give them a time to call me back, but…I'll just give them a call, I think." He went to the kitchen and got his shell cell. He had set it down to make T'mana's soup. He was getting ready to dial, when they heard a knock on their metal, hidden door. Leo rolled his eyes. The keypad must still be busted from that blonde's tampering. He saw Don come out.

"I think it's Mikey and Raph." Leo called. "I'm expecting them back." Don nodded and looked chagrined about the malfunctioning door. Leo walked into the room and was standing behind the couch when Don opened the door to reveal not his brothers, but Ms. Grey and a very handsome older woman. Don was frozen. The older woman looked as if she were cut from stone, with a hard jawline and deep cheek bones, but it was not unattractive. She had jet black hair with a few wisps of grey hair streaking it in a distinguished way. She took in Don's appearance with calm and curious eyes. He wasn't sure how to respond to it, so he blushed.

"_Ina_!" The cry was shaky and desperate and it jarred the woman's eyes in a flash. T'mana had her hands held out. She had moved the soup bowl and pillow, but was still not ready to stand on her own yet. Leo stood behind her, but he made no move to interfere. He knew who this was and it terrified him, but he would not keep T'mana from her mother.

In seconds, Mrs. Callahan had crossed the floor and sat next to T'mana. Her eyes roved over her daughter quickly, shocked at her battered appearance, but finally embraced her daughter softly and tenderly so as not to hurt her.

"_Wayate Cante_." She whispered. "Baby girl." T'mana had put up a strong front since she woke. She tried to forget the fact that she almost died, was almost mutated and was now sterile with a broken body. But her mother's arms were warm and soft and she felt safe enough to cry.

"Mom." She sobbed and held her mother as tightly as she could and ignored the pain in her shoulder. Her mother held her and rocked her, stroking her hair in a comforting way. "You know I love you, don't you, Mom? You know that? I love you so much."

"I know, _Cante_. I love you, too. Everything is all right now. Shhh." Her mother began to sing the lullaby softly and T'mana's sobs slowed to a much calmer flow. When she was done, she pulled T'mana away so she could look at her daughter's eyes. "All better?"

"Yes. It always makes me better." Mrs. Callahan smiled and brushed some strands that stuck to T'mana's face away gently.

"My poor little, _Cante_. What happened to you?" T'mana could see her mother's eyes take in her pale form with bruising and she didn't know what to tell her mother.

"_Wakan sicu_." T'mana explained softly. It was Lakota for 'bad spirit'. Her mother's eyes widened at the words, but also the fact that T'mana had willingly used Lakota instead of English yet again. _Ina_ was the Lakota word for 'mother'. Mrs. Callahan repeated the words with a thick accent and T'mana nodded.

"What happened?" She asked again.

"I was …stabbed." T'mana admitted. "_Lel_." She pointed to her shoulder. Her mother moved the collar of the t-shirt T'mana was wearing. April had changed her out of her bloody clothes. Her mother cooed sympathetically as she took in the stitches.

"Well…it looks good. The wound is not angry." Mrs. Callahan sighed and Eskimo kissed her daughter. "_Icuwiskayas, Wakan tanka_." She took her daughter into another embrace. "I feared I would never see you again. I was so worried."

"What the hell!" Raph and his crew had just arrived. Everyone's eyes snapped over to him. "Well, it's quite the reunion, isn't it? Don't you people ever leave?" He looked pointedly at Sandra. Everyone filed in. Raph took in Sandra and the strange older woman sitting on the couch. "Think we need to order another pizza." He grumbled.

"Pizza?" Leo asked. "Why are they here? You remember what I had you looking for?"

"Yeah, yeah. I remember. But, we ran into these two and whole lotta trouble. I'll fill you in over pizza." Both Lyde and O'Rourke spoke at the same time: "Hello, Mrs. Callahan." Mrs. Callahan smiled kindly at them.

"Hello, girls." She patted her daughter's hand and rose. She quickly surveyed the room, taking in each turtle and turned, her eyes falling on Leo. She kept her eyes on him for a long moment and Leo shifted under her gaze. "_Wicasa Yata Pi Keya_?" she asked her daughter. T'mana blushed, realizing that Leo had told her mother about the turtle chief story. She nodded. Mrs. Callahan smiled and returned her gaze to Leo. "Yes, I can see why." She walked around the couch. "Leo." She said. He was shocked and bewildered. How had she known? He nodded once, unsure what else to do. She nodded once too and then went down on her knees and began to lower herself to the ground to touch his feet. Leo was very alarmed. He dove down and quickly picked her up.

"Mrs. Callahan?" he asked nervously.

"I told you, I would kiss your feet if she returned safely to me. And you have done so." She was now standing and Leo dropped his arms, feeling incredibly awkward about this whole exchange.

"That's not necessary. I was happy to keep her safe." He scratched the back of his head, wishing that Raph and his other brothers weren't witnessing this conversation.

"But I wish to show my gratitude, you –"

"A simple 'thank you', would be more than enough, Mrs. Callahan." Leo assured. Mrs. Callahan nodded and saw that he was uncomfortable. She held out her hand and he tentatively took it. She clasped it in both of her hands and raised it to her forehead.

"Thank you." She said reverently. She lowered and released his hand. "I am forever in your debt."

"There's no debt!" He insisted, irritated and shocked that he had to mention this yet again. "She saved _me_…you really have it wrong." Mrs. Callahan studied him.

"No, I don't believe I do. May I meet your brothers?" Leo was relieved at the change of topic.

"Yes!" He blurted, a bit overzealous. Mikey jumped forward.

"Hey, Mrs. C. Really nice to meet you! Tim's really cool." He held out his hand and Mrs. Callahan took it. "I'm Mikey."

"Nice to meet you, Mikey." She turned her gaze to Raph.

"Raphael." He said. "So you're T'mana's mom, huh?" Mrs. Callahan took his hand and shook it.

"Yes, I am. Glad to meet you, Raphael." He nodded.

"You, too." He said gruffly. Don smiled warmly and held out his hand.

"And this is my fan." Sandra said, smiling as she put a hand on his shell. His eyes widened in disbelief and embarrassment. "He really shouldn't be up and about. He was shot today."

"Oh, my!" Mrs. Callahan exclaimed as she saw the bandage on his shoulder.

"It's just a flesh wound." Don deflected. O'Rourke stepped in and slid around Mikey.

"I'm sorry about that." O'Rourke said, keeping her distance. "I wasn't aiming for you."

"No, just my brother." Don mumbled, unable to accept the apology just yet.

"I'm sorry for that, too." O'Rourke agreed.

"Yeah, well too bad you didn't grow a conscious _before_ you shot my brother." Raph seethed. "We're watchin' you." O'Rourke nodded with dignity and fell silent. "As soon as this other business is taken care of, you will disappear from our lives."

"O'Rourke ?" Mrs. Callahan questioned with surprise. "You shot him?" O'Rourke managed to look contrite under the older woman's gaze.

"Yes, ma'am." Was all she said. She did not elaborate. Mikey watched and listened as she admitted what she had done without attempting to provide a defense.

"Why would you do that? They seem quite friendly. They saved my daughter."

"Yes, ma'am." O'Rourke agreed.

"She was under my orders." Sandra jumped in.

"You gave the order to shoot him?"

"No, ma'am." O'Rourke answered. "Ms. Grey was not here and I was not given a direct order to discharge my firearm. The decision was mine." A silence fell. A cool look fell on Mrs. Callahan's face.

"I see." She turned away from O'Rourke and faced Don again. She held out her hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Don." Don smiled gratefully and took her hand.

"The feeling's mutual, Mrs. Callahan."

"You're all so formal!" Mrs. Callahan laughed. "You can call me Kim." She looked around at the strange looks. "Why do you all look as if I grew horns?"

"Well, you're Indian, right? Kim is kinda not an Indian name." Raph explained.

"Native American. Indians are from India. And my full name is Kimimela. It means 'butterfly' in my tongue." O'Rourke stepped back subtly and tried to remove herself from the company. She could tell she wasn't wanted here, but she didn't want to leave. Not with all those Foot ninjas so nearby. So she maneuvered herself near the door and stood watch at it. The others went to the kitchen to begin setting up for a pizza dinner. Leo and Mrs. Callahan were helping T'mana move and Mikey and Lyde started setting the table. Raph hung back and walked over to O'Rourke when everyone was in the kitchen.

"You got this far, now just take a few thousand steps more and get your ass to _your_ home and away from mine." O'Rourke didn't bat an eyelash.

"I'll leave when Ms. Grey does." She assured. Raph chuffed and hulked away. He nodded at Mikey as he passed him. Mikey was leaving to go get the pizzas at the drop point and heard the exchange between his brother and O'Rourke. He approached her and stopped at the threshold of the doorway where she was.

"Why didn't you say what you did before?" Mikey asked. "About why you shot? Thinking that we were Stockman's mutants?"

"It doesn't really matter. The end result is that I shot him."

"Only because I made the first move and went for your gun." He looked at her and hoped his staring would make her take her eyes off the corridor and turn to him. It didn't. "Why didn't you say that?"

"What good would it have done? It would only have upset your brothers. I took the hit because I deserved it and it made more people happy."

"Come with me to get the pizza." Mikey said, suddenly changing direction. This did cause her to turn her gaze on him.

"Need my protection?" She joked. Mikey shrugged.

"Can't be too careful. My brothers got everyone in here covered."O'Rourke nodded her assent. Mikey closed the door and they started to walk. "So…crazy day, huh?" He offered.

"It's been eventful."

"No joke. I feel like I haven't slept for a week."

"How come?"

"Because I haven't slept for a week." Mikey responded. "I mean…my bro, Leo, he went missing and we couldn't find him. Donnie tried to locate him with his gadgets and Raph and I scoured the sewers and alleyways looking for him. After a few days of that, Leo comes back carrying T'mana and she's all bloodied and unconscious and says that Stockman had him." Mikey shivered. "T'mana was touch and go for a while. We all took turns watching her to make sure she didn't um…what's the word…I can't remember, but like spasm and choke on her tongue or something. She's pretty cool; we were all worried she wouldn't wake."

"I didn't realize…" O'Rourke murmured. "But she did wake." O'Rourke continued, louder.

"Yeah, just this morning. She was up for like twenty minutes last night and was out again. Don said it was possible she would go back into a sort a coma again. But she did wake and she's coherent, so we were all relieved. For about five seconds and then you all showed up. It's been pretty crazy." He came to a stop and tapped a pipe in beat to Shave and a Haircut. Three seconds later, pizza boxes were being handed down. Mikey slipped money up through the grate. "Keep the change, dude!" He shouted.

"Thanks, man! I love this route." O'Rourke stared upwards.

"We tip really well." Mikey explained. "We used to be real cheapskates, but then we thought, if we tipped well, they wouldn't spit in our pizza or, you know, call the cops for delivering in the sewer." She nodded and started to reach for the boxes. "Nah, nah, nah." He waved her away. "I got it." He piled them and carried them effortlessly as they began to walk back.

"What happens now?" O'Rourke asked.

"We eat, what else? I totally got dibbs on the pineapple, green pepper and hamburger pizza!" O'Rourke clearly made a face because he laughed at her. "It's like sweet and sour beef but on pizza! It's totally awesome. You have to try a piece."

"I don't think so."

"You might like it. You don't know unless you try."

"I don't think I'll be joining you for pizza." She elaborated.

"Not hungry? Even after that huge workout with the Foot?"

"Not really."

"You ever hear the phrase 'break bread'?" Mikey asked.

"Yes." O'Rourke was wary of where he was going with this.

"It means to share a meal with your fellow dudes and dudettes. The act of taking a piece of bread, breaking it and sharing it. It's got, like, a pretty deep meaning. Because you're showing equality by sharing the same food and table. It's a gesture, you get me?"

"You think I should eat with you." O'Rourke stated.

"I do. And I think a meal can fix a lot of things. That's why there are so many phrases for food! Like 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach' or 'comfort food', 'soul food', or 'sparring is my bread and butter.' Food is crazy intuitive."

"I suppose there is some logic to that." O'Rourke agreed reluctantly.

"So you'll do it?" O'Rourke shrugged and Mikey sighed. She got the door for him when they reached their destination; they hadn't fixed the keypad yet. Mikey led the way and set the pizzas on the table. He opened the boxes and flipped the lid so they were all sitting on the table exposed and ready to be picked apart. Everyone took seats and O'Rourke awkwardly slid into a chair next to Mikey and Lyde. Raph and Don were across from her. She averted her eyes and sat with her hands in her lap. The pizzas were picked apart within seconds. Raph snorted and glared openly at O'Rourke. Don glanced at her as well. His look wasn't hostile, but it wasn't pleasant either. More wary than anything.

All of a sudden, a floating piece of pizza entered her vision. It was plain cheese and O'Rourke followed the green hand with her eyes to see it belonged to Mikey. He had a quirky grin on his face and one eye ridge raised as if to say 'well?' She took it, said 'thank you' and promptly bit into it. She hadn't realized it until she had taken a bite, but the whole table had froze to see how she would react. When she bit, it was like the 'play' button was hit again and the action continued as it had been.

"Ah! I hate sausage. Mikey!" Raph complained. He threw a piece of sausage and Mikey caught it in his mouth easily. This elicited laughter from the ladies and a reluctant smile from Raph. Leo just rolled his eyes. T'mana wasn't eating, she was full from the soup and was afraid to eat anything so greasy yet, but she enjoyed sitting at the table and watching the social dynamic. Every now and again, someone would get up and refresh people's drinks or get napkins. The chatter was constant and went in several different directions with different groups involved. Sandra was sitting next to Don and they seemed engaged in some topic. Sandra was doing most of the talking, but T'mana saw Don speak up and cut Sandra off a few times to get a word in. Leo talked to Mrs. Callahan across T'mana and T'mana would join in as well. Raph was throwing sausage at Mikey at different angles. Lyde was guiding him to try to get Mikey to miss, but Mikey was too good.

"Mikey," O'Rourke said his name for the first time and it caught his attention so abruptly that a piece of sausage struck him in the nose. Raph crowed triumphantly and went to work on the rest of his piece, but had a loose eye on his brother and O'Rourke.

"What's up?" Mikey asked, wiping his nose with a napkin to get the sausage grease off.

"Can I try a piece of that one?" he followed her finger and saw she pointed to the pineapple, green pepper and hamburger pizza. He grinned and grabbed her a slice. He watched eagerly to see her reaction. She chewed and seemed to think about it.

"Well?" Mikey asked.

"Now I know." She said and set the piece down, making a face. "Eeugh. It's not like sweet and sour beef at all." Raph laughed heartily at that.

"No joke! That pizza's worse than garbage! Hey bro, I told you, you will never find anyone who likes that crap because it's CRAP."

"Oh, there is someone…and I will find them. It is my destiny." Mikey intoned eerily. Raph threw another piece of sausage and Mike caught it with his teeth.

"Hambone." Raph insulted affectionately. Mikey smiled and stuck out his tongue. He grabbed another cheese slice and absently handed it to O'Rourke to replace the pineapple one. She took it and began to eat. Every single slice of the five large pizzas they ordered was devoured. Ninjas apparently can eat a lot. O'Rourke watched Lyde as she seemed torn about something. She would lift her hand and then drop it back to her lap. Then lift it again and let it drop. Finally, she seemed to steel herself and tapped Raph on the shoulder. He seemed surprised by the contact and looked shrewdly at Lyde. She humbly pointed at Don, who was still trying to get a word in edgewise with Sandra. Raph could hear they were talking about hyenas. Weird.

"Don!" Raph belted, followed by a terrible belch. "S'cuse me," He said unapologetically. "Don, Ms. Geek over here needs to talk to you in your lab. And you need to listen." Don's eyes wandered over to Lyde who waved shyly and with regret. Don's curiosity was peaked so he nodded and pointed to the door. They both left and Raph followed and tapped Mikey and Leo, indicating they should join him.

They all stood in a circle in Don's lab and Lyde suddenly felt very self conscious. She realized she didn't have one ally in the room. All the turtles considered her an outsider, someone to get rid of and avoid. She had to approach this tactfully. She took a breath and knew how to begin.

"Raphael, why don't you tell your brothers what you saw?" She asked firmly. Raph seemed surprised by the question, but Lyde knew his brothers would trust what he said and so she at least set the precedent that there was, in fact, a serious issue to discuss.

"Mikey and I went to the spot you said, Leo. We found a hidden elevator and took it down." Leo took a breath, holding back the lecture that was dying to spring from his throat. Raph recognized this move and continued. "I saw metal cargo tubes stuffed with explosives. Powdered stuff. It looked like fulminated mercury." Raph nodded at Don, since Don was the one who originally showed Raph what fulminated mercury even looked like ages ago.

"Are you sure?" Don jumped, agitated. "I mean…"

"The smell…it was like you said it would smell, Don." Raph confirmed.

"And…" Lyde jumped in subtly. "My sensor picked it up as well." She handed it over to Don so he could look at the same reading data that she had seen. "O'Rourke and I were leaving when this started to beep. See, we had come in the other direction, so my sensor didn't initially pick it up because we were just out of range. When we exited and took the alternate route, it sensed the substance. It didn't seem like just trace amounts, so-"

"You decided to investigate like the idiots you are." Raph concluded. Lyde took a breath very similar to Leo's, instilling patience within her.

"The sensor has been known to misread. It's not exact; it just gives you an idea. I didn't want to alarm anyone especially given our rocky introduction to each other. I mean, you probably would have assumed that we planted it and were trying to trap you. So, yes, I asked for O'Rourke to accompany me alone to confirm my findings before we did anything."

"So you saw it too, then?" Don asked grimly.

"Well…no." Lyde admitted. "We sort of…got interrupted."

"By what?" Leo asked.

"By me." Raph said. "Since I saw that shit down there, I wanted them to scram. Plus, I saw Foot circling around down there and I knew it could get ugly quick. But, of course, no one ever listens to me! And thanks to little miss know-it-all, it gave time for Stockman and his cronies to come out and kick our asses. We got away, but they'll be patrolling the area now."

"You didn't say that you knew about it." Lyde defended. "If you had said 'hey, we gotta scram 'cause there's a bunch of explosives down there and crazy ninjas', we might have been more apt to leave! But you just did your anger posturing thing and because I thought my news was more important than you being a jerk, I held my ground." She took a breath and tried to calm her nerves because she was terrified at speaking so forcefully. Raph was getting ready to go into another rant when Don cut him off.

"Thank you." He said. The sincerity of it caught everyone off guard, but Don kept his eyes on Lyde. "I know standing up to Raph can be difficult, so I appreciate that you did despite the fact that you know us so little."

"Yes." Leo joined in. "Thank you for the concern. I'm grateful that we know about it so we can try to do something."

"That's what I wanted to discuss, actually." Lyde ignored the gratitude verbally, though it did wonders for her confidence. She turned back to Don and began to speak geek. Leo attempted to follow along, but Raph and Mikey didn't even try to pretend. When Lyde finished, Don was thoughtful with a hand to his chin.

"Well?" Raph demanded. "Is it crazy or can this device work?" Don sighed.

"I don't know."

"You gotta be kidd-"

"I need to see the device." Don cut in, addressing Lyde. "Since you don't know how it works, I don't want to use it without inspecting it. Fulminated mercury is very sensitive to heat, so if these waves gather in the room it's stored in, we could end up igniting it instead of rendering it inert." Lyde nodded. Her plan had not been rejected. "Can you get it to me?"

"Yes." Lyde said. "I can get it."

"Legally?" Raph asked.

"I can get it." Lyde repeated. Mikey shook his head.

"Dudette, we can't ask you to break the law for this. This is our problem. We don't want to drag you down in it. We've tangled with Stockman before. We can handle him."

"Agreed." Leo said. "This isn't your fight. Believe me, you do not want to get involved with Stockman. Don, from what Lyde told you, do you think you can construct something like that?" Don furrowed his brow.

"I don't know. I have no idea what materials were used or how the device is meant to function. I could look into it, but I don't know that I can solve it faster than Stockman can light it."

"Then it's decided." Lyde concluded. "I'll get the device, Don can inspect it and hopefully, it will work." They remained silent. None liking the idea of the little blonde trying to steal from an army base or somewhere just as difficult.

"No." Raph finally said, brooking no argument. "How 'bout you tell us where the device is and we'll get it." It wasn't a question.

"You don't know what it looks like." Lyde deflected.

"So tell us!" Raph commanded with irritation.

"No." Her voice was defiant, almost petulant. She realized she sounded like a child about to throw a tantrum. She sighed. "I know the base locker. I have access. It won't be suspicious if I'm there. No one would think twice about me accessing the area where it is. And," She continued, louder so that Raph had to fall silent. "If all goes well, I might be able to return it before it's even noticed as missing. You want low risk? Then I have to go in. O'Rourke will have my back and she can run interference if someone gets curious. I'm not going to say its fool proof, because it isn't. Lots of things can go wrong. And if they do, I'm the best person to talk myself out of it. I don't see another viable option." Raph was frowning at her. "Are you glaring at me because I'm right or because I stole your thunder?" She sniped. She was so sick of his attitude. What was his problem? She was trying to help.

"Ooooh." Mikey said. "Kitty's got claws."

"Steal my thunder?" Raph raged. "Who in the hell-"

"She's right." Leo cut in, not wanting to listen to another of his brother's tirades on the matter.

"What? You fuckin' crazy, Leo?"

"She's got the knowledge and a reason to be there. She's right. It's low risk for her. For us, it's high risk and if we get caught, you know Stockman is going to be all over it. Even if Lyde gets caught, we'll still be free to try to get her out and Stockman won't be the wiser. This is the way it has to be."

"Someone's got common sense." Lyde glared at Raph, giving him some of his own medicine.

"That's not to say I like it." Leo informed. "But I guess we have little choice in the matter. Where is the base?"

"It's actually not a base per se. There's a lock up storage at the training facility in the city. I have tagged access for all security checks." Leo nodded.

"Since it's in the city, it might not be a bad idea for one of us to follow for reconnaissance. Raph?" Leo offered. Raph grinned wickedly.

"You got it." He agreed arrogantly. Lyde paled.

"That won't be necessary." She tried to deflect. Leo waved her away.

"I hope not, but it's a precaution we're going to take. Raph will let us know if something goes wrong so we can get on it as soon as possible. He'll stick to the rooftops. No one will know he's there." Lyde would know and that made her miserable.

They all exited the room to find the ladies in the main living area laughing over coffee. T'mana had a water bottle and was looking exhausted. Mrs. Callahan was speaking with Sandra and O'Rourke was listening as well. Leo took the opportunity while her mother was distracted. He placed a hand on T'mana's back and leaned down to her.

"You feeling okay? You must be very tired." His voice was soft and laced with concern. She nodded.

"Very tired. I haven't been up that long, but it's been a full day." Leo smiled gently and rubbed her back soothingly. But instead of soothing her, it sent an electric thrill through her.

"Maybe you should call it a day. It has been eventful." He agreed. Mrs. Callahan had stopped talking and noticed the exchange between her daughter and Leo. There was a look in T'mana's eye that she hadn't seen before. Certainly not with Guy. None of her nervousness was there. She was unguarded, relaxed. There was a timidity and shyness, but it was tender and peaceful. She had never seen her daughter so at ease and it warmed her heart. Though she was not entirely certain what to make of this new budding relationship.

T'mana nodded her agreement and shifted to face her mother.

"Tired, _Cante_?" Her mother asked. T'mana nodded. She embraced her daughter again. "What do you want to do?" When the embrace was over, they looked at each other.

"I don't think I'm strong enough to leave, _Ina_." T'mana said softly.

"_Wowicake_?" Her mother asked. T'mana nodded. Her mother nodded to Leo. "_Washte_?" T'mana nodded again. "Oh, _Wayate Cante_, get rest and be well, my daughter." Another embrace. She looked at Leo. "May I come to see her again tomorrow?"

"Mom, I want to see you, too, but it's dangerous for them. If too many people are seen coming in and out of the sewer, they lose their secrecy and that's their first defense."

"Actually," Leo jumped in. "It might be best if you did go with your mother, T'mana. Stockman knows we live in the sewers, so he'll strengthen his search." Leo could see the shock and hurt in her eyes, but she said nothing. "The only reason we didn't return you to your mother sooner was because we couldn't reveal ourselves. But…well…I guess the cat's out of the bag."

"Jersey is so far," Sandra spoke up. "You'll both stay with me, of course. I have heavy security and plenty of spare rooms."

"What's Stockman's attitude towards you?" Don asked. "Did you confront him?" She turned to him.

"I did not confront him. I confronted you, but no one else. Stockman believes I am frantic looking for her, but doesn't think I suspect him at all."

"How can you be so sure?" Don persisted.

"Because I paid him. When I spoke with him, he was eager to go over details of the project. This is a typical conversation and not at all out of the ordinary. I told him I had a few things to do to look for my assistant and I would consider his proposal. Then I called him back and said it intrigued me and I would be happy to fund him. So I did."

"What the hell is your problem, lady?" Raph yelled. "You're funding that psychotic-"

"I had to throw him off my scent." Sandra said coldly. "Keep your enemies close."

"Wise." Don cut in, silencing Raph with the word and a stern look. "You had no other choice given your predicament."

"How much did you give him?" Raph demanded. Sandra's eyes fluttered for a moment, giving the sense of discomfort, but it lasted only a second.

"Enough." Sandra said.

"And how much is enough?"

"I don't see how the amount can possibly matter to you." Sandra spat.

"It does, though." Don chimed in again. "We need to know what he's capable of, what we're up against."

"$500,000."

"WHAT?!" Leo had to pull on Raph's shell to hold him back. "Are you in the habit of giving HALF A MILLION DOLLARS to demented doctors? No wonder he was able to afford a shit load of fulminate-" Leo shoved Raph into the wall he was standing near, catching him completely off guard. He whipped around ready to fight Leo, but saw that Leo was just as furious. His eyes flicked to T'mana and back.

"It's done." Leo said with such fierce finality that everyone, including Raph, fell silent. "And you are done speaking right now." Leo said directly to Raph. He turned to Sandra. "Is that a typical grant amount?"

"For me, it is. Anything less would have drawn suspicion." Leo nodded.

"It probably saved your life." He said. "We cannot regret it. I need you to keep up the pretense. Follow up and check status like you normally would. Make it seem like you're still worried about T'mana. Give it a few more days then let Stockman know that you were contacted by some hospital out in the country. That T'mana was badly injured, stabbed, and that she seemed to be out of her mind. Telling crazy stories about mutants."

"No!" Sandra argued. "He'll want to look for her!"

"He's already looking for her. Let him look somewhere else for a while." He paused. "Disconnect yourself from T'mana. She's only your secretary after all and you have a major corporation to run. You don't have time to worry about unstable employees that can't do their job. Replace her." He looked at T'mana. "I'm sorry, T'mana. But it's too dangerous for you to continue working with Ms. Grey anyway. This keeps everyone safe." He turned back to Ms. Grey. "If she does stay with you now, you must make absolutely sure there is no way anyone other than the people in this room know about it or see it. Stockman will be patrolling you since you're his only tie to her. He'll wait for you to lead him to her. So you have to make sure that you don't. I honestly don't want her to go with you, but Stockman will know about T'mana's mother by now and her place will not be safe, either."

"I have property that isn't connected to me. Actually, I have it for a situation just like this. A dire need to escape."

"Why do you need that?" Mikey finally chimed in, glancing at O'Rourke. He remembered her comment about jerks being in the world and how she wasn't overkill for protecting Ms. Grey.

"I just do." Sandra answered. Leo sighed.

"Ms. Grey, I'm sorry, but that answer will just not do. If we're trusting you with our lives and T'mana's, we need something firmer."

"You don't have to, Sandra." T'mana jumped in. "Leo, please trust me. I know why she has it and I trust her with my life."

"Do you trust her with ours, Tim?" Raph asked.

"I trust that Sandra would not knowingly do you a harm, yes."

"T…" Sandra said softly, touched at the heartfelt words. Her normally hardened face was soft and sad, making her seem frail and helpless for a moment. It shocked Don because it was such a contrast to the harsh, brash hurricane of a woman he had to deal with today. Mrs. Callahan took the reins.

"We will stay with her." She said confidently. "T'mana trusts her and I trust T'mana." Leo looked at Ms. Grey, then Mrs. Callahan and finally T'mana, seeing their resolve he knew he had no other recourse.

"All right. If you're sure." T'mana nodded.

"Well…" Sandra said, uncertainly. "I'm not certain how to get her there, though."

"How far did you have to walk in the sewers?" Leo asked.

"Well, once I knew where you were, I parked closer the second time I came here." Leo frowned. "I had to get Mrs. Callahan." She explained.

"Oh, right. How far now, then?" Sandra shrugged.

"About two manholes that way? The first one had heavy street traffic." Leo nodded. He knew which one she was referring to.

"Well, the roller chair won't help out there," he said, looking at T'mana. "But I can carry you." He let it hang there and made it her choice. T'mana didn't blush, but she did look down.

"It wouldn't be the first time." T'mana allowed. Leo said nothing, not wanting to push her in any direction. "And it isn't that far?" Leo shook his head.

"Not far at all."

"I don't want to be a bur-"

"You're not." He preempted honestly. T'mana raised her head and was struck, once again, by the difference in Leo. Before, he had been so careful to keep his distance and make her an outsider. He had addressed her, but always kept it without emotion. She wondered if he felt he owed her something and that it was guilt prompting him to behave so far outside his character. As much as she wanted to ensure that he didn't feel there was any debt to her or that he needn't feel guilty, T'mana didn't want it to be a public discussion either.

"If you're certain, then I suppose it would be the quickest way." Then she remembered that it had been his idea to remove her from the lair and that this was just a friendly way of restoring the distance. He wanted her to go. She was unaware of the mercury and Leo's need to keep her safe by getting her out of the line of fire.

"Don?" Leo asked. "Could you grab her things?" Don nodded and left. He returned with her cell phone and license. Don handed them to Mrs. Callahan, who took them gratefully. Mikey was first in line to say goodbye.

"You take care, T'mana! I'll be sure to send along a bunch of soup for your recovery!" He hugged her.

"Thanks, Mikey!"

"Yeah, get well so you can be back to kickin' some ass, slugger!" Raph winked and patted her on the shoulder.

"T'mana? What is he talking about?" Mrs. Callahan asked, disturbed. Raph' s eyes bugged.

"Nothin! Just a little joke." Raph covered. He slid away.

"I'll come with." Don said. "Just to be sure." Leo nodded. Mrs. Callahan was saying goodbye to Leo and Raph, and Mikey walked over to O'Rourke. She had been very quiet and made sure to keep her distance. But, no one, including Raph, had verbally attacked her again, so Mikey saw it as a small victory.

"So," He said, swanning over with his hands folded innocently. "You're going with Lyde for the thing?" O'Rourke nodded that she was. "Be careful." He offered, amiably.

O'Rourke's eyes widened just a fraction of a centimeter in surprise. She nodded again. He huffed, frustrated. He looked at Leo, saw he was still talking and pressed something into her hand clandestinely. She looked at it and unfolded the piece of paper.

"I didn't give you that." He said in a low whisper. "But if you need help, you'll get it there." He pointed at the paper. She raised an eyebrow in question. "Jeez. Are you like part Vulcan, or something?" She didn't react. "Well, whatever. Good luck, O'Rourke."

"Dina." She said. Mikey smiled, but before he could say anything else, Ms. Grey came walking up and O'Rourke snapped to attention.

"Hey, Geek." Raph called. Lyde actually turned and looked at him. He waved cruelly. "I'll be seein' you!" Lyde chose to ignore him.

O'Rourke led the way, followed by Mrs. Callahan, Leo carrying T'mana and Don taking up the rear. It didn't take them long to get to the manhole, like Ms. Grey said. O'Rourke spoke up.

"I'll go first. Make sure the surface is secure." Ms. Grey nodded.

"Thanks, dear." Ms. Grey said in her arrogant appreciative way. Before O'Rourke could start to climb the ladder, Don spoke to her.

"Semper Fi." He said. "I always thought that was sexist and speciesist, but I think you get the idea." O'Rourke nodded.

"Semper Fi." She repeated. He leaned closer so that no one else could hear.

"Apology accepted." Without another word, he walked back to keep an eye on the rear. It was a cool forgiveness, but the only kind that O'Rourke would have accepted. Revived, she climbed the sewer ladder and when the coast was clear, she waved for Leo to bring up T'mana so she could be placed in the car right away.

He had been holding her in his arms and T'mana's arms had been around his neck to help with balance. He looked down at her now.

"Take lots of rest and be sure to eat well. Get your strength back but don't push yourself. It'll take time." T'mana frowned.

"You sound like you're saying goodbye."

"Just for now. I'll check on you." T'mana felt nameless and faceless. The distance was back.

"You don't have to." She said a little colder than she meant to. She was tired and hurting. Her pain medication was wearing off. "I know it's risky coming to the surface." She softened her tone. Leo smiled that ghost of a smile.

"I'll risk it." He said. Don walked over.

"Get lots of rest." He said, echoing Leo. "I gave your mom your pain medication and told her the dosage. You're probably feeling some of it now. She'll give you some when you get to Ms. Grey's." He took her hand. "Thank you." He said again. "For my brother."

"Thanks for the medication, Don." He nodded. Leo shifted her weight.

"To get you up the ladder, I have to move you like this, okay?" He slowly shifted her to his side and she clung as best she could. "Good. Now I can climb and carry you at the same time." He looked up. O'Rourke took a second before she looked down, saw he was ready and gave the go ahead. T'mana held on to him and had to press her face into his neck to give her arms a better grip around his shell. She had no way of knowing the effect this was having on Leo. All he wanted to do was stop and hold her. Like her mother had done for her earlier. Feeling her warm breath on his neck sent chills of pleasure down his spine, but he remained stoic outside.

"Lyde," Don said. "We'll meet here tomorrow at noon. This will give everyone enough time to recuperate. Is that enough time to lay the ground work for you to be there at the locker?" She nodded her head.

"I'll coordinate with O'Rourke." Don nodded.

"Be sure to meet here. Please don't try to do this on your own." Lyde had been considering precisely that. She did not want Raphael around at all. "This is our home at stake. Our lives. Please, promise?" Lyde sighed.

"I promise. Does it have to be Raphael? Couldn't you scout for us?" Don pursed his lips.

"If Raph didn't know about it, sure. But he does. He'll come regardless." Lyde huffed with frustration. "I know he's rough around the edges, but Raph is definitely someone you want in your corner. He'll cover your back. You may hear about it for the rest of your life, but he'll cover you." Don smiled. Leo was done carrying T'mana and they had a wordless farewell. He gestured for Lyde and he helped her up the ladder.

"Well, it was nice to meet my number one fan." Ms. Grey held out her hand. Don took it awkwardly.

"I'll never live that phone call down, will I?" Don grumbled sheepishly. Ms. Grey smiled.

"No. But neither will I. I'm sure I'm forever branded in your brain as the bitch who chewed you out."

"Well…that and the woman who sewed up my bullet wound." He quirked a smile.

"I'll take that." Ms. Grey said, nodding dubiously. "But it is refreshing to speak with someone who actually knows what I'm talking about. I mean, I have Lyde for all my gadget discussions-"

"You're technical, too?"

"Yes. I'm just too damned smart for my own good sometimes. I have my fingers in a lot of pies."

"Me, too! I mean, technical. I invent things all the time."

"Indeed?"

"Yes. I have tons of stuff in my lab that I pieced together from items I got in the dump. You won't believe what people throw away." Don flushed. "But I'm sure you have access to much better materials."

"But where's the genius in that? Working with what you have, now that's real talent." Ms. Grey winked. "Well, goodbye, Don."

"Ms. Grey." He nodded, almost with reverence. "Thank you."

"For what?" She frowned.

"Sewing up my bullet wound." He paused. "Bitch." She barked a laugh.

"Yeah, that word doesn't suit you at all, dear. But I appreciate the sentiment." She took a breath. "And you're welcome." She turned to Leo, who was now waiting. "Well, this has been one canoodle of a day, huh?" Leo nodded his agreement. "Thank you for keeping T'mana safe. She's an employee, it's true. But, it's really more than that. She's..." Ms. Grey floundered, trying to find the words.

"A good soul." Leo supplied. She looked up.

"You see it, too."

"It's difficult not to."

"Yeah, well, her asswipe of a boyfriend before was oblivious enough to it." Leo's eyes darkened and she made note of it.

"Guy." The word seemed to leave a bad taste in his mouth.

"Yeah, that's the bastard. Real winner. But, that's in her past now." Sandra stated. Leo nodded slowly, unsure what else to say. "I guess we'll be in touch, then."

"Yes, we will. Please make sure that T'mana takes care of herself. I have a feeling she'll want to bounce back quickly from this. But the fact is, a lot happened to her in a very short amount of time and it'll hit her. Probably all at once. She'll need someone to be there for her. Someone she can trust." Sandra thought he was building up to himself, explaining why he would be showing up all the time, because he was the perfect one for the job in his mind. But he surprised her. "So, you'll make sure she's okay?"

"Of course." Ms. Grey sounded injured. "I don't intend to abandon her. I hope you don't either." She looked pointedly at him. Leo was surprised.

"We live a very dangerous and unappreciated existence, Ms. Grey. I don't want that affecting T'mana. Especially now when she's vulnerable."

"I can respect that. O'Rourke and Lyde will meet up with you tomorrow for this plan, whatever it is."

"The less you know-"

"Yeah, yeah. I got the drill, boy scout. You take care of yourself. And I'm not asking for my own piece of mind." Leo looked away.

"We'll do what we can, Ms. Grey." He gestured to the ladder and she climbed it. What a day.

**Lakota Translations:**

**Icuwiskayas, Wakan tanka means 'Thank you, Great Spirit' **

**Wicasa Yata Pi Keya means 'Turtle Chief' **

**Wowicake means 'Truth' or 'Truly'**

**Washte means 'Good' or 'Okay'**


	11. Chapter 11

They arrived without incident. T'mana had fallen asleep during the drive, though it was only twenty minutes. Everyone helped to get T'mana settled and once she was medicated and sleeping, they went to making their own rooms. Sandra owned a very large estate very similar to the Olde English homes that housed several family generations and their servants. While this was a secondary home, it was still fully furnished and staffed. As a result, Sandra had plenty of space and T'mana and her mother pretty much had their own living quarters within the residence. It had two full baths, three bedrooms and a shared suite room that served as a living room. This only took up a small portion of the second floor of the estate home.

O'Rourke informed Ms. Grey about the situation with Lyde's assistance. They all agreed that for the moment, it was best to keep the Callahans out of it for now. It could only bring stress which would slow down T'mana's recovery. No doubt this was why Leo wanted T'mana removed. Ms. Grey had wondered about that since he had seemed so firm earlier in the day to keep her there. Sandra also provided Lyde and O'Rourke a room so they could rest for their mission tomorrow. Lyde and O'Rourke talked and worked out an entry plan to make it seem nonchalant. Finally, they did go to sleep, mentally preparing for tomorrow.

Noon the next day, O'Rourke and Lyde parked and walked a little ways to the sewer entry. There was more traffic today, pedestrian and car. So when they finally climbed down the ladder, they found a very irritated, pacing red banded turtle. Leo was leaning against the wall. At the sounds of their clanking footsteps, Raph whipped around. Lyde flinched, expecting some biting remark or insult. Instead, Raph's eyes took in her form and O'Rourke's, who was still climbing down and seemed to be slightly relieved, though still thoroughly aggravated. O'Rourke jumped down the last few rungs and turned, blank faced as usual.

"Traffic." She said simply. Leo nodded.

"It's earlier in the day. That's expected." He agreed. Raph remained silent. This actually disturbed Lyde. Why wasn't he yelling and making snarky comments about how nice it was they decided to finally join them? He just stood there and seemed to be focusing on his breathing with his hands on his hips, or shell in his case and his jaw seemed to be in permanent clench.

O'Rourke nodded in agreement and Lyde stood there silently, unsure what to do now. Raph slowly closed his eyes, breathed and then opened them.

"What's the plan?" He asked with a forced calm. O'Rourke began to speak and he cut her off. "I want to hear it from her." He pointed at Lyde. "I know you can handle yourself, GI Jane." He looked at Lyde again and waited. She cleared her throat nervously and outlined what she and O'Rourke had gone over the night before. His intent attention unnerved her, but he nodded every now and again to show he understood. Or maybe that he agreed. She wasn't sure. She fell silent at the conclusion. "Now repeat it." He commanded without any hint of humor.

"What?" Lyde said. "Why?"

"Repeat it." He said again. O'Rourke turned to her.

"It happens in the army all the time when cadets go out their first time. The drill sergeant wants to make sure they've memorized it thoroughly." Lyde's jaw clenched this time.

"I'm not a cadet."

"Clearly, or you'd be halfway done repeatin' it by now." Raph snarled in a low voice. "Repeat it." Lyde sighed and did as she was told. At the conclusion, Raph nodded, seeming satisfied. "I'll follow on the rooftops to get a good vantage point. Gimme your cell phones." O'Rourke raised an eyebrow.

"Purpose?" She asked.

"I'll get your numbers so if I see somethin', I can warn you. I could scream my head off, but you wouldn't hear me up on the roof." O'Rourke nodded and handed hers over. Lyde reluctantly did the same. "I'll send a text most likely. Try to keep a poker face when you read it." They handed their cells over as he programmed his number into theirs and vice versa.

"You sure you want to do this?" Leo questioned. "You don't have to. I just want to be very clear on that."

"I'm sure." Lyde answered, not allowing O'Rourke to respond. "I can do this." Raph made a face.

"It's not about whether you can do it or not. This is about them. You understand? Even the best fighter in the whole world can get hit by a sucker punch. They just need to get lucky." He stared at her for a moment. "Do you understand?" He demanded.

"Yes." His eyes searched hers and seemed to find them lacking.

"You need to leave your ego at the door and be honest with us. How much of a chance do they have of gettin' a lucky punch?"

"I think it's low." Lyde answered. "The ninjas down here only _saw_ me; that's not enough to locate a person. They need a name or an employer or something concrete. So they won't be scoping out the place because they have no idea that I can get in there. Let alone knowing about the device that I'm going in there for. The people we'll run into know me as a loyal employee and I won't be doing anything to draw attention to myself. They would need more than just a lucky shot. It would need to be a Hail Mary pass." Raph stared her down again, but this time she seemed to get his approval. He turned to O'Rourke.

"You agree?" O'Rourke nodded. "Then I guess that's it." He shrugged. "Up you go. I'll trail you on the roofs."

"Good luck." Leo said. They all nodded. O'Rourke began to climb and Lyde got in line to follow. Just as she gripped the ladder and was about to step up, Raph grabbed her shoulder firmly, though not roughly.

"Don't do anythin' stupid." The words themselves would have flared Lyde's temper, but he said them so softly and in such an uncharacteristically concerned way, that all she could do was nod somberly and proceed up the ladder, wondering what had happened to the angry turtle and if she had misjudged him somehow.

She, of course, had no way of knowing that Don had mentioned to Raphael that Lyde had asked Don to go instead. This gave Raph a lot to ponder. At first he had been pissed. Who did she think she was, telling him what he could and couldn't do? Going behind his back to Don like that? But then he remembered that he often came across as an antagonistic prick. Lyde probably thought he would hassle her during the whole mission. And that was no good. If she was worried about Raph picking on her, that meant she was not thinking about the mission. Most people were not strong enough to handle Raph's personality. Something he usually prided himself on. But in this instance, it was counterproductive. Rather than pull out, since Raph couldn't step away from a fight, he had decided to rein it in and make sure Lyde felt it.

Both girls walked steadily on the sidewalk towards their goal. They didn't mind walking and it allowed Raphael to keep up with them. They could catch him every now and again if they looked hard, but mostly he was invisible. Because of his changed behavior, Lyde was less nervous than she had been. She had believed, perhaps unfairly, that he wanted to tag along to watch her fail and fall on her face so he could rub her nose in it. But now he seemed concerned that the mission go well and he had even made the comment that someone else could botch it, not her. She felt…stronger with him backing her. They walked for about an hour…the drive would have been much faster. But they arrived safely and without incident at the place Lyde had called the 'locker'. It was actually a fortress-like building that was a hollow square. The square portion was the building and inside was a sort of outside training range. They reached the outside security and Raphael was on a lower building so he could hear the exchange.

"Lyde…long time no see, sweetheart." The security check guard said, smiling. Lyde blushed and returned the smile.

"Well, I always try to come on your shift when I do, Larry." She giggled. The man smugly adjusted his hat.

"The highlight of my day, sweetness." He drawled. He nodded them back. "Be sure to say goodbye on your way out so I can end it on a good note." Lyde waved coquettishly as O'Rourke followed her. Raph rolled his eyes, but figured this was how the game was played. He did some fancy jumping until he was on the actual roof of the building so he could monitor the inside range and the building exits.

Several anxious minutes passed when the girls were in the building and he wondered if that was normal. He had been told they would need to cross the range, but he didn't think to ask how long passing through the building could take. They could be getting dragged off and injected with tranquilizers without him even knowing it. Seconds after this thought, he saw them both emerge into the range and take separate paths as was part of the plan. Inwardly, he chastised himself for panicking and being ridiculous. Even more deeply inwardly, he was relieved.

He kept his eyes on Lyde, knowing that O'Rourke could fight and handle herself. Lyde stopped to talk to some men who had waved at her and she chatted a bit. She laughed and touched their shoulders easily. After a few moments, they waved and parted. Lyde continued to the other end of the range and disappeared into the building again. O'Rourke had maneuvered into position ahead of her outside the door, but she started and turned around as if being called. She glanced up as if trying to see him, then also disappeared into the building. This was not part of the plan and Raph's senses spiked. His eyes quickly surveyed the range and kept darting back to the doorway, waiting for O'Rourke to exit and let him know that everything was back to plan, but she didn't. He was startled by the buzzing of his phone and the arrival of a new text from Lyde.

'**we r ok. we got it. w8 1 min**.' He sighed, but kept his phone out and waited.

* * *

Lyde was stuck talking to a former boss who was reliving the glory days when they were protecting against hackers during the Y2K scare. Lyde had still been in high school when she was brought on to assist and had blown him away with her expertise and professional attitude. He had called in O'Rourke because he had worked with her before as well and wanted to reminisce and share stories, while he drank his coffee. Lyde excused herself for a moment to text Raph. She knew he would worry when O'Rourke deviated from the plan.

The device was small; it was in her purse wrapped in a special material that would deter metal detectors. It had been easy to hack into the safe it was sealed in because she helped design the security protocol for the locking mechanism. Several minutes passed and she had dropped a few hints that she needed to leave, and he good-naturedly said he understood and then started another story. O'Rourke pretended to get a call and excused herself. But Lyde's phone really did beep morse code S.O.S., her alert for a text. She looked at it. It was from Raph and her blood ran cold.

'**Doc here now. Get out! Use bkwy**.'

"I'm sorry." Lyde said, calmly with a bit of annoyance. "My friend. I have to go. I need to pick her up now." She shook hands and texted O'Rourke as she walked the back way. What the hell was Stockman doing here? Did he have military backing? That would explain how he had access to so much fulminated mercury, but it was still astounding. Her heart was pounding and she said a small prayer begging to get her out of this alive and with all her friends safe. She mentally checked herself as she realized she had referred to Raphael as a friend, but didn't have time to dwell on it.

She skirted around some desk personnel and saw Stockman with a small entourage walking through the range towards the section she was just at. He was speaking to two men on either side of him as he strode quickly; he was deep in conversation. She made sure her back was to him and began to wander towards the front now that the back way was blocked. She looked across the way and saw that O'Rourke had encountered the same problem and had been unable to exit out the back, so they both made their way through the building towards the front exit. Suddenly, the alarm was blaring and every soldier in the range halted and began to run towards their station. Lyde took advantage of the chaos and ran with everyone else.

She cursed herself for her stupidity. Now, knowing what she knew, she believed that Stockman was the genius behind the device to begin with. He would want to make sure he could deactivate his stash of explosives if his own life were in danger. Now that the explosives were placed, he wanted his toy to make sure he wasn't blown to pieces while rigging a detonation device. So the device was noticed as missing immediately.

She saw O'Rourke go ahead of her on the left side. She was better at dodging and quicker on her feet. Lyde felt like she was making very little progress, all the people she had to dodge. O'Rourke did a quick spurt to the right and started running interference for Lyde, clearing her path. Lyde was able to pick up the pace. Suddenly, O'Rourke was grabbed and slammed into the wall. She recovered and swung her arm into the soldier's neck. Lyde didn't understand why the soldier had done it. He hissed something that sounded like 'freak lover', and Lyde realized he must moonlight as a Foot ninja. Lyde was getting ready to pull out her baton, she had kept it in her purse, but O'Rourke shook her head almost imperceptibly. Her eyes looked up. The Foot soldier took it to mean she was looking for divine intervention. But Lyde understood that O'Rourke was reminding her of their mission by looking to Raph and that _she_ had the device. The mission could still succeed. Lyde hated herself, but knew that realistically she would only draw attention and then be overwhelmed by the flood of soldiers looking to attack. She made it to the front and ran into the security guard Larry.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked, shakily. Looking to Lyde and taking in her appearance.

"A detonator's missing!" She lied on the spot. "Please…open the gate, Larry!" Her voice was shrill. He did and she bolted through it. "Run!" She shouted back to him, to give her lie truth. He did, but he didn't follow her.

According to plan B, the plan they weren't supposed to need, they were to make it to the nearest alley so Raphael could get them on the roof. Lyde did and took a moment to catch her breath. Her hands were shaking and she wanted to scream.

O'Rourke! She had left O'Rourke! What would Stockman do to her? And it was her fault! She leaned against the fire escape to catch her breath, but it was coming out in gulping hitches. She was borderline dry sobbing. It was akin to a panic attack. She felt something on her shoulder and she wheeled around, and saw Raphael hanging off the fire escape with his hand out to her.

"C'mon!" He whisper shouted. It wasn't angry, but authoritative. She obeyed immediately and he helped her up to the roof using the fire escape. She was fast, lighter than he was. "Hold up!" He called as they came close to the end of the first roof. But she didn't stop, she couldn't lose her inertia, so she jumped and flew over the gap, landing with plenty of space on the other side. The shock of it shuddered up her legs all the way to her jaw and back of her skull. Raph landed lightly beside her. "Bend your knees." He said and crouched to indicate what he meant. Lyde nodded, breathless and felt something whiz by her. "Time to go!" He yelled and grabbed her by the arm and they started running. Another thing whizzed by and struck the wall to her left.

"They're shooting at us!" Lyde realized.

"Keep runnin'!" He commanded and she did. She made the next jump and hopped into a full run again to gain speed, but heard a grunt behind her. Raph stumbled into his jump and she knew he was going to fall short. She halted and turned back. She ran full speed and threw herself towards the edge with her hand out. She felt the roof's surface scrape against her belly as she slid, but she kept her hand extended. He was reaching for the roof ledge and she managed to wrap her fingers around his wrist. She tightened instinctively. His weight dropped and gave a sudden forceful tug on her arm. She heard a 'pop' and cried out in sharp pain, but didn't let go. Raph was swinging with the arc of his weight, but he could tell he was getting lower. He was dragging Lyde down. Meanwhile, bullets were still being fired, but either their shooters were too far away or their aim was terrible, because another did not find its mark.

"Let go!" He called to her. She looked stricken. But the time had passed. He was swinging with force over to the fire escape and so he gripped it. He felt the swing pull her over the edge as the burden of weight switched over to him. Lyde fell and he gripped her hand tightly. Once again, the weight of gravity snapped through Lyde's arm and she felt like it would rip from her body. She grunted involuntarily at the shock and pressure of her own weight dragging her down. She stared up and saw Raphael holding himself on the outside of the fire escape and his other hand holding her. She watched with wonder as he lifted her with one arm, a raging cry growing with the struggle through his throat, and he pulled her onto the fire escape platform.

Their pursuers were catching up, so they didn't have time to catch their breath. She climbed up as Raph followed onto the fire escape to join her on the roof. Once again, bullets were flying through the air and getting closer to their intended targets, but they had the fire of fear pushing their muscles to the next rooftop and the next and the next. The bullets thinned and then stopped. They were faster than their hunters and were several rooftops ahead.

"Turn!" Raph ordered and Lyde looked to see where he was going and followed him. He took them through a weave of roofs and after fifteen minutes, they had lost the people chasing them. But Raph wouldn't let her stop to catch her breath. "Later." He said and he led her down into an alley back to the ground. He lifted a manhole cover and nodded to it. She dropped down, sliding down the ladder. Raph followed, covered it again and dropped down next to her. He pointed down a tunnel and they began to jog. They ran for about ten minutes, but Lyde couldn't go anymore. She came to a dead stop and leaned against the dank sewer wall, not caring how disgusting it was. Raph stopped and turned, his brow creased.

"You hurt?" He puffed, his chest rising and falling heavily with exertion. Lyde gasped for breath and it transitioned quickly into sobs. Raph shifted, uncomfortable but also concerned. "Where're you hurt?" He asked.

"O'Rourke." She answered. "I left her. I just left her…" Her voice kept quaking and breaking

"We have to keep movin'." Raph snapped, rougher than he meant to. "C'mon." He jerked her good shoulder to motivate her.

"What will he do to her?" She choked. "It'll be my fault…whatever he does…I left her." Raph stopped dragging her and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders and shook her once hard. Pain flared at her left shoulder, but she managed to ignore it as Raph commandeered her attention.

"Listen up! We're not gonna give'im time to do anythin'. The faster we get to the lair, the faster we can launch our counter offense. So let's go!" He jerked her arm again and he found that she not only followed him, but was now running ahead of him. He grinned. He had found the right motivation.

As they ran, Raph called ahead to give his brothers the mission status. They could start brainstorming and be more prepared when he and Lyde got there. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the lair. Their muscles and lungs were burning. Raph managed to get Lyde over to the couch and they both dropped down onto it, breathing deeply. His three brothers quickly surrounded them.

"Raph!" Don gasped.

"What?" He managed between breaths.

"You're bleeding!"

"Oh…right." Raph looked down and saw the bullet wound in his forearm. It had clipped him and took a chunk of his arm with it, but nothing horrendously damaging. Just enough to skew his balance when jumping. Don had rushed to the lab and got a kit that he came out with. Raph held out his arm without prompting and let his brother clean and bandage the wound.

"Talk." Leo said. "We need details." Raph recounted what he knew and explained that he saw O'Rourke get taken.

"How?" Mikey asked. "You've all seen her in action. She's fast."

"It's because of me." Lyde said. "She ran ahead of me, to help clear a path because I couldn't fight my way through the crowd once the alarm went off." Mikey frowned.

"That doesn't explain it, though."Mikey observed. Lyde frowned thinking back.

"One of the soldiers just attacked her. I think he was one of the ninja we were fighting!" She exclaimed in remembrance. "He recognized her. But he hadn't seen me yet." She fell silent for a moment. "I wanted to help her…" Leo shook his head.

"That would have just got you both caught. You were outnumbered. All you had was your anonymity." He deflected. "How do you know it was one of the Foot ninja?"

"He…said something. I couldn't quite hear it…" She shifted uncomfortably.

"What did he say?" Leo prompted. Mikey thought he understood.

"Lyde, you didn't say it. He did. We won't get mad. What did he say?" The orange banded turtle tried to assure her.

"I think…it sounded like…freak lover." She mumbled. A thundering silence fell and Lyde felt the oppression of it worse than any of them.

"Okay…" Raph began. "So now what?"

"We get her back." Mikey directed, annoyed that he had to say so.

"Yeah, I know that, knucklehead. I meant 'how'?"

"You know him better than I do." Lyde said. "Where is he likely to take her? Back to the lab? Where he had T'mana and Leo?"

"I'm not sure." Leo said. "Raph, did you see anything other than O'Rourke being cornered? Was she publically apprehended, or do you think the Foot brought her directly to Stockman?"

"I couldn't stay long, but I saw him take her towards Stockman." He admitted. "Whether anyone else saw them for sure, I can't say."

"I'm guessing 'no'." Mikey clenched his fists. "He would have informed the Foot how to handle catching any of us." Leo nodded.

"I tend to agree. That would be his preferred outcome. He'll want to use her as bait."

"No." Lyde said. "He won't. You're forgetting the mercury. He's still positioned to take you out with that. He can handle O'Rourke separately."

"I'm not so sure." Don spoke up. He was wrapping Raph's arm and spooling the cloth. "I think his ultimate goal is to study us. Blowing us to molecules would destroy that. The mercury has to be there for another motive. He must feel that the sewer is a good location for a reason, but I can't think why. Leo, where did you find that area on the map?" Leo went into Don's lab and grabbed the laptop. He pulled it up and showed it to Don.

"Wait...I think you need to pop her arm back in." Raph was looking at Lyde sideways. He noted the way she was cradling her arm and remembered it had been yanked a few times. Lyde looked doe eyed over at him, fear clouding them. Don stood and moved to her side.

"Did you dislocate your arm?" He asked.

"I…don't know."

"She did. I'm pretty sure it popped when I fell, and then it pulled even more when she did."

"Fell?" Don asked, taking Lyde's arm gently in his hands.

"Later." Raph said. "Just pop it back in." Don positioned himself, but his shoulder wound was too fresh and Raph was injured too.

"I can't. Leo or Mikey, can you get this? I don't want to pull my stitches." Mikey grinned.

"Then you'd lose your souvenir from your hero." He joked as he stepped up to Lyde. Don blushed and muttered something about Mikey needing to shut up. Mikey dropped his eyes down to her. "This is gonna hurt. I'm gonna take your arm and pull it, like, really hard so it slides back into the socket, okay, dudette?" No, this was not okay. Lyde's mind was screaming that she was fine and she didn't need any help. But her arm hung strangely and it hurt with any movement, so she knew she was wrong.

"Okay." She mumbled. Mikey took her arm and crouched with his legs braced against the couch.

"I'm gonna count to three and then pull, okay?" Lyde nodded. "One!" He yanked really hard and she felt Don hold her to the couch. White pain flashed behind her eyes and she barked out a growl.

"What the frick happened to two and three!" She snarled. Mikey chuckled.

"You would have fought it. It went easier this way, trust me. I totally know what I'm talking about. I've dislocated mine, like, two times." Leo, behind Mikey, held up four fingers using two hands and shook his head. Lyde couldn't help but smile despite her sudden anger.

"Try to move your arm now." Don commanded softly. She lifted it and bent it at the elbow. "Good. Now wiggle your fingers." She did. "Good. Need some aspirin?"

"Please?" Don smiled kindly and left to go get her some. Raph nodded his approval.

"Not bad, pint size." Lyde blinked at this compliment, unsure what to make of this new Raphael. Don brought her a glass with three tablets of aspirin. He turned back to Leo.

"Where did you find that spot on the map?" Don resumed, not having forgotten where their conversation had been going.

"Here." He pointed.

"Do we know what's on the surface at that spot? I mean, there might be another target." Don finished with Raph's arm and turned the laptop toward him. Trying to do a search. He started to shake his head after a moment. "I can't get at it. It's encrypted."

"What are you looking for?" Lyde asked. She was starting to feel warm and antsy. She wanted to do something.

"Well, I pulled up the regular city plans, but it just shows that there's a retention above where the mercury is situated. I was trying to see if there were any government files I could…" Don blushed. Lyde held out her hands.

"Can I check? I'm hacker prevention so I know a lot of the tricks…" Don handed her the laptop and she began to type furiously. Raph watched as the screen changed every three seconds as her fingers flew across the keyboard. A lot of the screens said 'access denied' but some of the screens seemed to involve her entering lines of code. Her reaction was instantaneous. "Frick." She mumbled to herself. Raph found himself leaning over, curious. Her eyes were glued to the screen. "No dice…" She began typing in a very long line of code that involved several minutes. "Let's take a different approach…" She kept typing. "You got a flash drive? I don't want to save what I'm doing to your hard drive." Don was up and bringing her one within seconds. She put the flash drive in and began to type in a strange patternless rhythm.

"You're pulling satellite coordinates?" Don asked, looking at her screen. As she typed, data was appearing on her screen. She nodded. "But they'll know you're tapping and trace it." He warned. "No. I'm on a pulsating frequency band. They'll think it's standard sub space interference. It won't last long enough to draw attention. They'll probably think it's from a solar flare." Don nodded, somewhat impressed.

"True, but what about the data you're downloading? They can't see you tapping, but they can see you pulling."

"No." She said, shaking her head. "This tapping" she indicated her fingers. "is simulating the same interference type. Once the transmission is done, it won't read back as anything on their reports. I'm sending the sound back on the same carrier wave that I'm pulling from. Like driving a tractor over dirt to cover footprints on a farm. The tractor's expected, they won't inspect the imprints it's leaving." She kept tapping with her left hand and with her right she clicked and did some more tapping and closed out the screen. Then she cut the power. She handed Don the flash drive. "Read that on another computer for now. I'm going to wipe this one first."

"What exactly are we lookin' for with Sat coordinates?" Raph asked.

"She was trying to see if a military satellite was monitoring the area with the retention. It might indicate that there's something else going on there." Don said. Lyde nodded in agreement as she pulled up the laptop and began typing lightening fast again. Don left and went to the desktop computer in the lab. Lyde typed for several minutes more and then stopped abruptly, having finished her task. She closed the laptop and set it on the coffee table.

Without the distraction of hacking, Lyde's throbbing arm reminded her of what happened and how it was all her fault. What had Raph said? That this wasn't a game and she shouldn't try to be a hero? Well, no problem there. She was definitely no hero. Letting your friend get taken by an experimenting monster was as about un-hero like as someone could get. She stood abruptly, feeling rather nauseated.

"Bathroom." She blurted. Leo looked at her, startled, and then pointed to a room off in the corner. She darted towards it, marveling for a second that they had a bathroom underground, and she closed the door behind her. She immediately knelt in front of the commode just in time to retch part of her breakfast into the porcelain bowl. She heaved for several minutes, her stomach clenching and unclenching in painful spasms. She was sure there was nothing left, but it didn't seem to stop her. Bile and acid burned her throat and finally, her stomach just shivered and shut down. She sat down and leaned against the wall, not confident that it was, in fact, over just yet. After a moment, there was a knock.

"Just a minute." She murmured, but made no move to get up. The door opened, Raph stepped in and then closed the door behind him. Her eyes widened. "What if I was…you know?"

"You weren't."

"You don't know that!" He rolled his eyes.

"I could tell you were sittin' on the ground. If you were…you know, you'd have some explainin' to do. 'Sides, I could hear you yakkin'." He shrugged, crouched down and handed her a plastic cup of water. She stared at it a moment as if she didn't understand what it was, but then she took it, swished it and spat into the toilet bowl. She blushed and didn't meet his eyes. Without a word, he leaned over, flushed the contents and resumed his original position. She took another tentative sip.

"Hail Mary Pass." He said, shaking his head. Lyde said nothing and kept staring into the cup of water she was holding. "You and O'Rourke had never seen him there before." Raph continued. "So this is a new development. There was no way you coulda known and there was no reason to stake it out first. If there had been anythin' glarin' like that, me 'n Leo never woulda let you two in there. It's just Murphy's fuckin' law. Anythin' that can get fucked up, will." He waited a moment. "So, you done pukin'?"

At the word 'puke', Lyde leaned over to the toilet bowl, dropping the cup letting it spill on the floor and promptly began to vomit up the water she had just consumed. "Uggh. Guess not." Raph grimaced. Her stomach seemed to remember some long lost contents and continued on its purge. Raph pulled her hair back. "How much did you eat today? Jeez!" Lyde moaned and a few tears fell from her eyes. She wasn't crying, but her tear ducts seem to have been activated from the pain in her stomach. She took a shaky breath that turned into a gurgled groan as she realized she was beyond humiliated. Why did he have to come into the bathroom? Couldn't she vomit in peace?

"Okay…that's gotta be it. I mean, a little thing like you can only hold so much." He tried to joke. But she didn't move. Her stomach shuddered again and she continued for several more minutes. She felt his hand touch her forehead and was momentarily relieved by how cool it felt and surprisingly soft, but it was interrupted as more came back up.

"Shit!" Raph whisper shouted. Great…he was mad. Well, she didn't ask him to watch her puke. And she just wanted it to stop. It's not like she was enjoying this humiliating experience. "Don!" He shouted. She felt him rub her back suddenly; it calmed her a little and at the same time grounded her. Her body felt like ice, but where his hand rubbed created comforting heat. "Okay, take it easy." He said. His voice sounded anxious and unusually kind. She could hear that he didn't know what to do and had a moment of pity for him. Then her blurry eyes focused, she vomited once more and she saw something that made her panic. Red. There was a lot of red in her purge. She shook and moaned.

"What?" Don asked, not opening the door.

"Get in here!" He opened the door and was politely averting his eyes until he saw the position they were in. His brow furrowed. Raph was rubbing her back awkwardly and Lyde vomited again. Don looked away as a courtesy. "Don!" Raph shouted to get his attention. Don turned to Raph and Raph mouthed the word 'blood' nodding to Lyde. Immediately, Don walked over to look at the bowl and was stricken.

"Fever." Raph said, quietly. In response, Don felt her forehead and it was on fire.

"But she was fine a few moments ago. No hint of fever…" He was puzzled. "I don't understand…" He left in a rush. Lyde had started to quake a little. It wasn't from the regurgitation; he thought she might be crying.

"Don's on it." He said gruffly. "He knows his shit."

"That bastard." She cursed as another bout struck her.

"No, Don's gonna help you." Raph didn't know how to respond to her insult. It was so unlike her. Not that he knew her well, or anything. But she didn't seem to strike out when someone was helping her. "See, he's back already." Don had knelt down.

"Lyde, I know you can't control it, but try to be as still as you can, okay? I'm going to take some blood and see what I can find out." The blood was getting darker in her vomit and this was extremely worrying to the purple banded turtle. He took the blood as Raph tried to hold her arm steady while she continued to be wracked with shudders.

"He did it." She managed to spit. "Must have…put something on …the device…poison…virus." Each punctuated with a purge.

"You have the device?" Don asked.

"Purse." She moaned. Don leapt up and went to his lab. He grabbed gloves and walked out to pick up her purse.

"Lyde is very ill." Don informed. "She thinks Stockman put something on the device." Leo jumped up.

"How ill?" Don shook his head darkly.

"She gonna be okay?" Mikey asked, worried.

"Her fever is dangerously high and she's vomiting violently. She's starting to vomit her stomach lining and the blood that feeds into it." He left, knowing that they would follow. "Since we haven't exhibited any symptoms, I can only assume that you have to touch the device or that our genetic makeup is not human enough to be affected." He bagged the device. It was small, black and about the size of a flat river stone that you could skip five or six times across the surface of a lake.

"Then whatever it is, Stockman must have a cure or vaccine. He'd want to be able to get the device and use it whenever he wanted." Don nodded in response.

"He's really got us, Leo. And he knows it. He's got O'Rourke and he knows that whoever took the device is down." Don slammed the lab table. "We don't have the equipment or personnel to figure this out fast enough to help her. At the rate she's going, she'll be dead before nightfall. I may not even be able to even see results until tomorrow because I don't know what I'm looking for!" They were both silent a moment, Don had his hand on his head in despair.

"She can die from puking?" Mikey asked.

"It's rare, but it does happen, Mikey. Too much acid and no nutrition. It's not a pleasant way to go. But there may also be something else going on that we don't know about."

"What about Ms. Grey. Isn't she like a super rich doc?" Mikey didn't have to say another word. Don had his shell cell in his hand and was dialing.

Twenty minutes later Ms. Grey was in the lair, grim faced as Don began to relay the information to her. They were both walking towards the bathroom. Raph and Lyde were still in there. Lyde was now quite pale. The skin around her eyes was purplish and so were her lips. She had gone limp. She was still conscious, but seemed to be so weak she could no longer hold herself up. Raph had an arm wrapped around her at her ribs to support her and he held her pressed against his plastron and the toilet. His other hand was on her forehead to keep her head back. This allowed her to continue to vomit without obstructing her throat. It was a mock embrace that disturbed all onlookers.

"Oh my god." Ms. Grey murmured, clearly haunted. She moved forward, but Don grabbed her arm.

"We don't know how she contracted it yet, Ms. Grey. You have to keep your distance." She nodded.

"Where is it?" She asked sharply. Don led her to the lab and held up a sealed clear bag. He also held up a stoppered test tube with blood.

"I took her blood. Can you please see what you can find? She doesn't have much time."

"I have a private lab. You're coming." Ms. Grey commanded. Don hesitated. "You're coming." She repeated and he nodded. He left the room to inform Leo.

"We'll all go." He turned to Ms. Grey. "You have your SUV again today?" She nodded. "We'll all come. In case she takes a turn for the worst."

"Of course. We'll need constant updates on her condition." Ms. Grey walked near the bathroom. She felt the expected tug on her arm and she allowed herself to be halted. Don, of course, didn't want her getting too close. "Lyde…dear? You're going to come with us now, okay? We're going to do everything we can."

Raph looked up and then back at the limp Lyde. He stood, pulling her up by his arm around her rib cage and swept her legs up easily with his other arm. Then he shifted her so her head was over his shoulder. She was like a cooked noodle, flopping with his movements. In the past few minutes, her vomiting seemed to slow and her weakness seemed to worsen. But he didn't want her to choke because he held her on her back. Instead, he held her as he would an infant against his shoulder. Don came forward, and placed a blanket on him so his shell wouldn't scrape her chin. Raph attempted to be mindful of where he held her. Trying not to take accidental liberties in her state. But it was proving difficult. Because of the way he needed to hold her to prevent her from choking, he had to brace her weight with one hand on her behind. He muttered some apology that he wasn't sure she could hear, but put his other hand on her back.

They moved quickly and the car ride was an anxious one. The vomiting hadn't stopped, but it had seemed to become less explosive. It just dribbled out now. Raph was completely out of his depth. He didn't know how to help sick people and he didn't know how to make people feel better. So he just patted her back, hoping she found it reassuring, but it made him feel ridiculous and useless. He kept talking, letting her know what was happening since she couldn't see because she was facing backwards. He told her she was doing good and that it wouldn't last too much longer. He lied to her. He felt royally pissed because she had saved his life and he couldn't do the same. This was an enemy he couldn't fight. Unseen, attacking her from within. She had clutched his hand in the bathroom, so he knew that she was grateful for his presence, which surprised him. He didn't want to ditch her now when the least he could do is be there. He tried to listen to Don and Ms. Grey, see if he could make heads or tails of what they were saying, but he wasn't smart enough to follow, so he continued to pat Lyde's back.

They arrived at the estate and Ms. Grey briskly walked them upstairs to a room. She pointed and Raph carried Lyde in and propped her on the bed in the room. He grabbed the garbage can and sat down next to her, ready to move her head if she needed to purge again.

Leo and Mikey followed Don and Ms. Grey up two more flights of stairs. They walked into a huge laboratory that took up the entire top floor. Don was absolutely stunned.

"This is for your hobby?" He asked.

"Yes. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well." She explained. She didn't halt her step to answer his question. She went over to several pieces of equipment. "The only reason I work is so I can afford to do what I do in here." She placed the test tube in a centrifuge and began to turn on several pieces of machinery.

"Don," Leo said. "I'll leave you to it. Mikey," Leo shifted and cracked his knuckles. Something he never did. "Can you let T'mana know what's going on? I'm going to stay with Raph." Mikey's eyes betrayed shock, but he nodded.

"T'mana's on the second floor in the west wing." Ms. Grey informed. Mikey took a breath and left.

Leo went to check on them. He could hear Raph rumbling to Lyde. He didn't know what he was saying, but he could see that his brother was disturbed. Honestly, Leo was surprised that Raph hadn't bugged out and left her to take Stockman on singlehandedly. It suggested to Leo that, at the moment, Lyde was more important to him. If Lyde died, and that seemed more and more likely, Leo didn't know how to handle his brother or her friends. He had seen bad times before. Times when it had seemed hopeless and that life would never be happy again. But he had managed along. Just as soon as he allowed himself to care again, everything was falling apart. He truly didn't know how he could save everyone this time. Stockman had finally won.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I want to thank everyone who has favorited/followed my story! I'm so glad you are enjoying it...so here is another update for you :)**

O'Rourke had been taken with a bag over her head. She knew they had driven her and she used every sense she had during the journey. She kept her ears and her nose alert. She guessed the trip to be about thirty minutes when they came to a final stop. They unloaded her and placed her in the room she now sat in. They removed the bag from her head and she saw Stockman and three Foot ninja behind him.

"Good afternoon." Stockman greeted pleasantly. O'Rourke remained silent, but let her eyes scan. There were no windows and the room was all white. There was a metal table and a gurney in the corner accompanied with medical equipment that she did not recognize. Stockman followed her gaze and smiled. "Don't worry about that." He informed. "You'll become acquainted soon enough. I know exactly what I'm going to do with you. I've had a pet project in the back of my mind for about a decade, but I've had to wait for the right subject." His smile widened evilly as he tapped a syringe in his hand. "I think you're strong enough for it, but I suppose we won't know until it's finished. This," He gestured to the syringe. "Will burn just a little. It's a little mixture I designed for my female subjects. Procreation won't be possible afterwards, so I'll have full control of breeding you or cloning or whichever works best. But it also has the dead useful side effect of making your cell structure susceptible to change. Which is why females make far better test subjects than males, in my opinion. And such changes you can't begin to imagine." His grin widened.

O'Rourke kept her face blank and gave no indication that she heard him. Though she certainly had. Terror was flaming through her veins and the only thing that kept her in check was her training. She knew that Lyde had gotten away with the device so she would be able to neutralize the fulminated mercury. She also knew that her relationship with the turtles was rocky at best so no one was coming to get her. Mikey might have considered it, but would no doubt be easily swayed by his brothers and talked out of it. After all, she was a strange, cold person who had shot his brother.

She was not a damsel in distress and had never been. She didn't need to be rescued. She just had to wait for the opportunity to present itself and she would escape. This thought calmed the panic and her pulse slowed. Outwardly, there had been no change to her appearance. This infuriated Stockman.

"Oh, you will tremble, my dear. You will fear me and with good reason. You're probably feeling smug about the thermanator device your partner stole." He laughed confidently. "Right about now she's feeling the full effects of a virus I mutated. First she'll vomit until she bleeds. Then she'll become paralyzed. That's when the real fun begins." O'Rourke kept stoic, so he plugged on hoping to get a rise out of her. "Her nerves will begin to misfire. So she'll feel excruciating pain, but be unable to move or scream. Then the virus will work its way into her brain and start to shut down major functions. Like breathing or her heart pumping. I'm not sure which, but she may very well suffocate to death." He sighed fondly. "But I won't be able to see it. Ah, well. We can't have everything. She'll be dead in hours though. That I _can_ tell you." He leaned over her. "So, your friend will be dead and you'll just wish you were. Those turtle freaks will come, no doubt, hoping to exchange the device for you, but it'll be too late." O'Rourke wanted to put him off his game.

"I thought villains only monologued in comic books or really bad movies. I'm quite bored. Can we just get on with it?" She kept her voice bland.

"With pleasure." He purred. "Let's get you moved to the testing area. My ninjas aren't scientists. They have no sense of where subjects should be placed in my laboratory. Untie her from that chair," He addressed the Foot in the room. "Be sure to secure her again immediately and take her to test station three."

Each ninja flanked her as they began to untie her from the chair. She kept her eyes on Stockman, but also kept her other senses open, waiting. She felt it. Her arm was free from her elbow to her hand. She whipped it up, catching the ninja in the face. She grabbed his hair through the mask he wore as he started to collapse and flung his body into the other ninja. Her left arm was loose and the ninja behind her was swinging down his sword to put an end to her. With all her strength, she lifted her left arm and moved it in front of the sword. The sword cut her arm, but also the rope.

Her left arm was now fully mobile. She reached behind her, found the ninja's shirt and yanked it forward. She slammed his head into the arm of the chair, and then grabbed the sword out of his hand. She used it to fully free her right arm, but the first two ninjas were back standing and she didn't have time to free her legs. Instead, she pushed against them, sliding her chair back into the wall, giving her some time. She cut loose one of her legs and spun out of the way, just in time to avoid another sword. It stuck in the wood of the chair and she slammed the handle of her sword into his head. He went down and she knew he wouldn't be getting up again. The other ninja was already mid swing with his sword. She quickly brought hers up. But she had no training with this weapon and it was knocked easily from her hand. The ninja grinned victoriously. But O'Rourke realized she was in position for that little move Mikey taught her so she let her free leg pop up and knock the ninja's head at an odd angle. He crumpled to the floor. O'Rourke was trying to wrest the sword from the chair so she could cut her leg free when she heard clapping.

"Oh, well done. Truly. Bravo." Stockman said, grinning. He had a gun pointed at her. "Yes. I think you'll do nicely."

"Care to try your luck?" O'Rourke asked, trying to trick his ego as a man.

"No. I only play when the odds are in my favor." He cocked his head and lowered the gun a little. He took aim and shot. She felt her kneecap blast out on her free leg and she dropped to the floor awkwardly because she was still tied to the chair by her other leg. "You won't need to stand for my little experiment." O'Rourke whimpered and clutched at the wet mess that had been her knee. She could hear footsteps. She felt something yank viciously on her hair, whipping her neck backwards. "See what fighting will get you?" He lectured as if she had only minorly disrupted his day. She felt his hand clutch her hair tighter to her skull. She was getting ready to thrust her fist out, but he slammed her head into the concrete floor, making her vision split and quiver for a moment. She lay still. "That's better."

He patted her head gently and looked to her knee briefly. It was all she needed. She had gripped the sword that had dropped and she used it to swipe her leg free. Stockman grabbed the sword, but she let him have it. She grabbed the chair and flung it, using the floor to brace her body to thrust it away. It slammed into Stockman and he fell backwards into the gurney. She clambered to a standing position and loped out the door. Her right leg was practically useless. The knee felt shattered and unable to hold her weight. She dragged it and let her foot twist so that her ankle could carry that part of her body. She turned down a hallway and went into one of the open rooms. She looked down at the floor and saw with frustration that she left a bloody trail. Wordlessly, she looked around to see what she could use as a weapon as she would need one shortly.

The room was exactly like the previous room. She went over to the medical equipment and grinned. She picked up a tranquilizer gun and stuck a surgical knife in her pocket. The door swung open and she tranqed the ninja. He went down after two steps and she grabbed his sword and dagger from his belt. Now armed, she pulled the ninja body inside, letting the door close. She ripped the ninja's pant leg and used it to make a tourniquet as best she could. She ripped his other pant leg to wrap it. Hopefully, that would slow the blood flow enough not to leave a trail. She wiped her shoes and peaked out the door. Two ninja ran by. When they turned the corner, she slipped out and began to move as quickly as she could. She knew it was all or nothing. She wouldn't let that sick twist of a man do anything to her or anyone else.

* * *

"Well, it's definitely a virus." Ms. Grey said, looking through the microscope and comparing it to the readouts she had in her hand. "But I've never seen anything like it." She pulled her mask down and instinctively, Don slid it back up with a quick pull.

"Be careful!" He shouted, annoyed. Sandra seemed unconcerned with becoming ill herself. Sandra stepped back and purposefully removed the mask. "Ms. Grey, don't be foolish!"

"I'm not. This virus is not designed to be transferred. It's actually been designed to latch on to a single host."

"What? How is that possible?" Don moved to the vacated microscope. "I don't see how you came to that conclusion." He argued.

"Not from there." She allowed. She handed him the readout she was looking at. "Look. All the DNA coding, the protein links, the cellular structure, all of it. It's mimicking Lyde's cells. I don't know. It's almost like it…imprinted the code to make itself compatible only with her cells. It's multiplying, though. They seem to have a general focus on blood cells." Don nodded thoughtfully.

"Blood can carry it anywhere in the body. It's not exactly subtle. So if it's mimicking her cell structure that will make it harder to create a vaccine." Don shook his head. "I wish one thing would go our way right now. Just one."

"I'm sorry. I'm not a virologist. I don't even know where to begin." Ms. Grey lifted her hands, helpless. "I don't know anyone in that area that I trust enough to bring in on this." She sighed. "I never should have involved them in my half baked plan." She berated herself. "I'm such a fucking idiot. I just assumed everything in the universe would obey my goddamn command. I've killed them both."

"We're all blaming ourselves, but we need to stop. It's not going to help them and it's not going to change what happened. It's done, however it came about. So let's focus on what we _can_ change. I seem to recall one of your papers studying immune systems of chimpanzees in and out of duress. You compared the immune systems of those in the wild to those in captivity. Do you remember that?" Ms. Grey was staring at him, shock blatant on her face.

"That was back in college." Her voice held disbelief that he could possibly have known about it. He shrugged, trying to retain his dignity.

"I've been following your work for a long time." Was his only response. She took a moment to recover from her surprise.

"Yes, I remember it. My findings dictated that the chimpanzees in the wild had a higher survival rate than those in captivity. Even when the ones in captivity had human assistance with immune drugs and vitamins." Don nodded.

"Yes. I think you postulated that there was an 'adrenaline' drive that the chimpanzees in captivity did not benefit from. I believe you phrased it as 'adrenaline driven immunization.'"

"That's right." She barely had time to marvel that he knew her college thesis so well he could not only summarize its contents, but quote it. "But I don't see how that can help us now."

"Maybe we can cause her body to produce adrenaline or even inject it directly into her body. Put it in 'fight or flight' mode, making it more formidable against the virus? It might, at the least, buy us time…" Sandra went back to the microscope.

"We don't know how this virus will react to adrenaline. It seems to have been engineered." Don shook his head.

"You can't really engineer from scratch. We can't create life from nothing. What we can do is mutate or crossbreed to create a new virus. So if we can figure out its origins, we may have a better chance. But we're running out of time. The adrenaline may give us more time to work with."

"Or it could kill her."

"I don't think so. In the history of viruses they typically do not have adverse effects with adrenaline."

"Except that it would spread faster. The increased heart rate would pump the virus that much quicker." Don's eyes widened.

"Yes! Maybe too quick. If the flow is too fast, it won't be able to latch onto anything other than the blood cells that it is already infecting. I read about that with another virus. It specifically attached to lung cells, but when the blood flow increased it wasn't able to latch on quickly enough and the adrenaline retarded the infection."

"It could work…" Ms. Grey agreed, somewhat hopeful. "But it might not…" Don shook his head.

"We don't have time to be sure. She's dying already. We have to try. But you know her best. What do you think her decision would be?" Just then Don's shell cell rang. He frowned but answered the phone; he kept his eyes on Sandra. "Leo?"

"Don, she's stopped vomiting but now she's completely incapacitated. At first Raph thought she was just tired, you know? Weak? But now she doesn't move. Her eyes are open, but she doesn't blink. It's like she's paralyzed. She's still breathing though, we checked that…what do you have, Don? Anything? We have to move quickly…"

"I'll let you know." Don hung up the phone. "It seems she's lost motor function of her body. Leo thinks it could be paralysis." Sandra's eyes widened. "I think you know what we have to do." Sandra nodded.

"I know where I can get an adrenaline shot. It'll take me some time though." Don nodded.

"Go as quick as you can. I'll go see how she's doing. I have your cell if…something should come up." Ms. Grey paled, knowing that he would call her if the shot was no longer needed.

* * *

Mikey knocked on the door. He had tried three others with no response. The hallway was huge so he really had no idea where they were. Finally, this door opened and he saw Mrs. Callahan look vaguely surprised, but then she smiled.

"Mikey?" She asked. He nodded and smiled awkwardly.

"That's me!" She waved him in.

"T'mana, Mikey is here." He looked over and saw T'mana on a chaise lounge. She beamed at him.

"Hi!" She said and waved him over. She moved her legs, a little shakily, but then patted the seat next to her. He took the offered position and sat for a moment. He saw T'mana's smile falter. "What is it?"

"Uhh..."

"What happened?" T'mana's voice had gone a little shrill. He sighed.

"Okay…there's no easy way to say this…"

"Is Leo okay?" Her eyes were wide and she had her hands clenched together. "Oh my god, did something happen to him?" Mikey took a moment to appreciate her ill drawn conclusion, but waved it off.

"No, Tim. He's fine. But…um…something kind of went wrong with the whole mission thing."

"Lyde? O'Rourke?" T'mana asked, still panicked. "They didn't tell me what it was, but I know they were doing something with Raph."

"Yeah…Stockman has O'Rourke…and Lyde…she's…really sick."

"Sick? So she didn't go on the mission and that's why O'Rourke-"

"No. We think that Stockman did something to the device, that's what they went to go get, so when Lyde grabbed it, it made her sick. But we're not sure yet. Don and Ms. Grey are working on it now." There was silence for a moment as T'mana absorbed what Mikey was telling her. Her mother came and sat next to her, putting her arm around her. She wondered for a moment why Leo wasn't here talking to her.

"Is Leo trying to get O'Rourke?"

"Uhh…no. He's here with Raph and Lyde. Don and Ms. Grey are in the lab up a few flights."

"Lyde's here?" T'mana started to get up, but Mikey gently pushed her back down.

"Easy, dudette. We don't know how contagious it is."

"But Leo and Raph…"

"We seem to be fine but that might be because…well…we're less human." He shrugged, awkwardly. "You can't go in there now." T'mana growled and Mikey looked shocked.

"And what about O'Rourke?"

"I've been thinking about that." Mikey admitted. "He's had her for a while now…"

"She'll be at the lab." T'mana mused. "He had tons of rooms below the surface." She closed her eyes calling it back into her mind. "It was like a maze, each room looked the same. But then there was a different section, like where I stumbled upon Leo. Those were holding rooms with cells."

"So she's probably there." T'mana shook her head.

"No. I don't think so. Stockman would have seen her in action. He also wouldn't want to tranquilize her because that might affect the results of his experimentation. So he couldn't leave her in a cell to her own devices. He would want to get started right away to get her under control." Mikey clenched his fists even though it was T'mana's thought process and not necessarily Stockman's. "If he did poison the device, then he knows we're busy. He's probably not expecting anything from us right now."

"And he's right! I'd go myself but I'd have to know exactly where she was to get in and out with her safely without having back up." He stood abruptly in frustration, and then his eyes hardened. "I have to go, Tim." He said.

"Mikey?"

"I'll see you later, okay?"

"Mikey!" He halted at the sternness in her voice. "Be careful. And tell Leo, too. You have to go down to get out." She assumed his course of action.

"Uh…yeah, I'll tell him." He was confused by her cryptic warning. "We'll be careful." He swept out of the room and went upstairs to where his brothers and Lyde were. Leo was standing apart. Don was checking Lyde's pupils as Raph looked on from his position on the bed. Mikey walked over to Leo.

"S'going on?" He whispered.

"She seems to be paralyzed now." Leo answered shaking his head. "Ms. Grey is getting something for her and Don's monitoring Lyde to see if she gets worse."

"Dude." Mikey cursed. He waited a moment, out of respect for the situation. Then he spoke. "I want to go after O'Rourke." His voice held a confidence and command that startled his leader-brother for a moment.

"Mikey…"

"We can't help her, Leo." Mikey gestured to Lyde. "All we're doing is standing here. But we can try to help O'Rourke. I'm not sayin' go after Stockman. We'd need everyone for that." Leo's eye ridges went up at this distinction. "I'm just talkin' a rescue mission. She went in for us, Leo. We owe her." Leo huffed at that.

"It's dangerous, Mike." Leo stated. "We'd be completely outnumbered if-"

"But he's not expecting us now. He knows we got our hands full." Mikey again gestured towards Lyde. "The longer we wait, the more prepared he'll be and see us coming."

"I suppose that's true." Leo allowed. "Since when are you a strategist?" Mikey looked chagrined.

"Well…actually…T'mana said that. But it's true!" Leo rolled his eyes.

"Yes, it is. T'mana certainly has an eye for detail." Leo was frustrated. He walked over to where Lyde lay. "Don," he said, so only he could hear. Mikey trailed behind. "Mikey and I are going for O'Rourke. Do you think you and Raph will be…" Don looked shocked.

"Yeah, Leo. We'll…uh…manage." Don allowed. "You can't do much here anyways."

"You sure?" Leo asked. Don looked over at Mikey.

"Go get her. And tell Stockman he's a dead man."

"Don't tell Raph…last thing we need is for him to-"

"No problem, Leo." Don said. "Raph's busy." He gestured and Leo saw Raph watching Lyde intensely as if afraid she would suddenly die if he looked away.

"No problem." Mikey agreed. With that, Leo and Mikey went downstairs. Leo saw keys hanging on a hook.

"Well…it's kind of an emergency…" Leo rationalized.

"Totally." Mikey said. "Driving will save us tons of time…she won't mind…right?" Leo smirked and grabbed the keys. They found the keys belonged to a BMW that, luckily, had tinted windows. "Sweet ride." Mikey allowed. Leo hit the button on the keychain and they heard the doors unlock.

"Get in." And they were on their way.

* * *

O'Rourke found herself going upwards through the hallways. At first she hadn't noticed the subtle incline, but she was starting to pick up on it now that she was getting tired of running. It was lighter, and some of the rooms had windows so she knew that she was above ground now. She had killed about seventeen more ninja. They just kept coming. She knew she was going to hell, but she hoped she could put it off just a little longer. And some she hadn't killed directly, but moved quickly out of the way so that the ninjas accidentally impaled each other on their own weapons. So, she wasn't sure if that counted against her or not. She finally came to a door that she knew had to be important. It screamed indifference and averageness. But O'Rourke knew it was trying too hard. Obvious camouflage. The door, naturally, was locked. She felt the door and found that though it looked wood with grain and everything, but was, in fact, metal. She smiled. Every metal door had an imperfection in it. It was man made so it didn't have the natural strength that wood could have.

She dropped down, her right knee screaming at her, but she ran her hands along the surface of the door. She grabbed a tranq bullet and used the needle to drip the contents into the locking mechanism in the crevice of the door. She grabbed her lighter that she kept hidden in her shoe. She waited for the liquid to spread and then settle. Then she lit the liquid on fire. It gave a hiss and then sizzled and fizzled out of her hearing shortly. To an outsider, it would seem anticlimactic, but this was the exact reaction she was expecting. She raised herself up and grabbed the doorknob. She braced herself and with a quick and jerked movement, she cracked the door open. She hopped into the room and closed the door behind her.

From the outside, it would still appear locked, but the actual lock portion was melted and weak enough for her to snap it. She braced a chair to the door to give the initial impression it was still closed. This room had a window, but she also noticed that this room had digital storage. She quickly noted that the window was reinforced with metal bars and dismissed it immediately as an exit option. It would take too long to try to get through it. She saw flash drives that seemed to be labeled in code. She grabbed them and put them in her various pockets. She heard an alarm suddenly and realized that, of course, there were extra precautions for this room.

She moved the chair and when she opened the door, saw more ninja gathering around. She began to run as best she could, dragging her right leg and occasionally used the sword she had to brace her weight. She could feel the ground elevating again and when she turned the corner, she saw several ninja waiting for her. She sliced her way through them and even grabbed a semi automatic off one of them. She began to use it to cut her enemies down that way also and she got the distinct impression that she was being herded. It seemed the higher she got, the more ninja waited for her. So she tried to backtrack. They did seem to get sparser and it was easier going down, like going with the wind. She kept taking out ninja and pilfering their weapons as she went. She now had two handguns in addition to her sword and dagger. Finally, she turned a corner and saw Stockman with his hands open as if welcoming her. There were hundreds of ninja. They pulsed in a black crowd as if a single living entity. She looked behind her and saw that the mass of ninja had closed behind her.

"Well, that was amusing." Stockman joked. "But I think we'll get down to brass tacks now. You're not going anywhere. And this…" He waggled a syringe that he held in his hand. "Will make you tell me everything you know about those freaks before we actually get to your experiment." O'Rourke breathed out as if accepting her loss. Her chest heaved as she looked around. She dropped her sword and let it clank to the ground. Stockman nodded slowly. "Very wise. A warrior knows when to accept defeat."

"Defeat." She repeated calmly. With one swift motion, she raised the gun, but not towards Stockman. She placed it against her own temple. She saw Stockman's smile falter and then she pulled the trigger.


	13. Chapter 13

Don was placing a cool damp cloth on Lyde's forehead to help with the fever. Tears had begun to fall from her eyes. Don had closed them since she didn't seem able to blink and he didn't want her eyes to hurt and dry out, but the tears squeezed out from behind her lids.

"Son of a fuck!" Raph barked. "She's cryin? What the fuck is it doin' to her?"

"I don't know…" Don answered softly.

"Is she in pain, Don?" Don blinked. "Earth to Don?" Just then, Sandra burst in.

"Got it!" She shouted breathlessly. She started to move over to Lyde, but Don stopped her.

"Not you." He said firmly.

"It's not contagious." She argued, exasperated.

"I know, but she's your friend. I'll do it." He held out his hand and she reluctantly gave him the very large syringe. If the adrenaline did have an ill effect on Lyde, he didn't want Sandra to have to carry that on her shoulders.

"What in the hell are you gonna to do with that?" Raph demanded.

"I need to inject this into her vein. Once it gets to her heart, she'll pump it everywhere through her body and hopefully, it will slow the virus down." Don swabbed her arm and did the injection. Sandra had come closer and now stood beside Don. After several seconds, Lyde's body started to seizure and her muscles gyrated involuntarily.

"Don?" Raph shouted, alarmed. He was trying to hold down Lyde's bucking body to prevent her from falling off the bed.

"It'll pass…I thought this might happen." The seizure lasted only a moment and then her body slowly stopped shaking. "The adrenaline jumpstarted her muscles, but she doesn't have control of them so they were overwhelmed for a moment." He put on a stethoscope and listened to her heart. "Her heart rate did increase. We'll monitor it to make sure it doesn't get too high." Sandra nodded.

"What do we do when it wears off?" She asked. "We can't keep giving it to her. That would send her body into shock."

"I know." Don agreed. "I've been using your computer to research viruses that attack the blood, but I haven't found anything useful yet." He shook his head. Sandra touched his shell and motioned for him to walk with her. He did.

"You're doing everything you can." She encouraged. "You thought of the adrenaline idea, I didn't. And it was my thesis!" She was leading him back up to the lab. "I specialize in exotic species, so I don't really know human anatomy all that well. I am a bit technically inclined. I love my gadgets. So I have this camera that you insert through an IV line. It stays stationary, but I have software that allows us to manipulate the data it feeds us back. Compliments of Lyde." Sandra hesitated, but then continued. "So, maybe we can watch this virus in action and learn more about it." Don was beyond joyous. He couldn't stop himself; he gently cupped her face.

"You are a genius!" He kissed her forehead suddenly he was so pleased. "Go set that up." He released her and turned away abruptly, trying to ignore what he had just done . "That's exactly what I need. If I can monitor it inside her, I can see what it's attacking besides her blood. Maybe find a weakness." Sandra shook herself and began to grab the equipment to get started. "Anything I can do to prepare?" He asked.

"Uh…" She was still a little flustered from the unexpected kiss. She didn't have time to think what it meant or how she felt about it. But she knew her initial thought was that it was honest. "Do you know how to do an IV?"

"Yes."

"Then do one. There's tubing kits over there. By the time you have it in, I'll be ready."

"You've given us another chance, Ms. Grey. If she lives, it's because of you." He didn't wait for a response. He swept out the door with the IV kit and went about his duty.

* * *

They had been monitoring the situation for several minutes. Leo and Mikey had followed the flow of the Foot ninja and had used it to locate O'Rourke. Mikey had the rare ingenious idea of crawling along the piping on the ceiling to remain undetected.

"Looks like she's on her way out already." Mikey couldn't help but smile. She was resourceful.

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "They're definitely after someone. Let's follow this group." His voice was dropped so only Mike could hear him. They began to crawl and swing silently along very smoothly. They were lucky the lighting was dim and didn't give away their movements. They had gotten in because Leo remembered how they had initially escaped. It was a duct that fed out into a ditch. Leo had been hoping the Foot hadn't discovered it and their luck did seem to hold. But it was a long way out. He hoped there was a better solution on their escape.

"Find her!" They heard Stockman shout. "Get that army bitch back here and alive, or you'll be my next subject!" They maneuvered into the corner and noticed that the Foot seemed to be pooling in this room. They exchanged looks and kept as still as they could, wondering what this could mean. After several minutes, they saw O'Rourke round the corner and suddenly become aware of the intense mob in front of her. They were directly above her, but Mikey could see her right leg was badly injured. Her pants were soaked with blood and her arm, too.

"Well, that was amusing." Stockman said. "But I'll think we'll get down to brass tacks now. You're not going anywhere. And this…" They saw a syringe in his hand. "Will make you tell me everything you know about those freaks before we actually get to your experiment." Mikey saw O'Rourke look around and seem to give up, dropping her sword to the ground. No! "Very wise. A warrior knows when to accept defeat." With horror, he saw her lift the gun to her own head.

Without thinking, Mikey dropped down and pushed her wrist forward away from her brain. She had already pulled the trigger, so the bullet sniped across the bridge of her nose, but still managed to take out a Foot soldier. There was a moment where everyone paused to try to understand what happened, including O'Rourke. She wasn't dead?

"Mikey!" Leo shouted, bringing him back to reality. He took O'Rourke's arm and directed it toward Stockman.

"Dina! Shoot!" She did, but Stockman was barely hit in the shoulder. She shook Mikey off and steadied her aim as Mikey used his nun chucks to keep the ninja away. It only took her seconds to take aim and she got him in the chest. Stockman grabbed at it, collapsing. Several surrounding ninja turned to assist him and O'Rourke started to back away and kept firing as she went. Leo dropped down and cut a swath through them with his twin katana. Taking two out at once every time he could. Mikey was no slouch either, twirling his chucks and knocking several unconscious with a single movement. O'Rourke began to go back up towards the surface.

"Wait!" Mikey shouted. He understood now. "We have to go down to get out! Down!" He pointed back towards Stockman. O'Rourke looked at him as if to say he'd better be right and they all turned to head down that way. Some Foot ninja were attempting to move Stockman and the turtles let them. They used the distraction to get further ahead. The ninja were not pursuing them. No doubt afraid of dying but also of abandoning their boss. Stockman's experiment threat probably kept them in check more than anything.

O'Rourke was managing to keep pace pretty well despite her lack of limb. She knew somewhere in the back of her head that she probably wouldn't regain any use of that leg after she was done with it today, but getting out was her new imperative. She was alive. Alive because Mikey and his brother had come for her. They hadn't abandoned her and left her to the cruel hands of that corrupt monster. She would have cried with relief if she wasn't so pumped on adrenaline and fear. She did _not_ want to fall back into that monster's hands.

"What did you mean, Mike?" Leo asked, as he ran. "Down to get out? Where?"

"Uh…not really sure. T'mana said it." He huffed and smiled apologetically at his frustrated brother.

"You have got to be kidding me!" He raised his eyes in anger. "Down usually means trapped, Mikey! You know how many Foot are behind us?"

"No, he's right!" O'Rourke pointed.

"What?" Leo asked, looking. "What are you seeing?" She went up to the wall and leaned against it to hold her weight. She gasped for breath as she felt along with one hand while the other held her up.

"You okay, D?" Mikey asked. He put a hand on her shoulder and O'Rourke's lips curved into a small smile without her being aware.

"I'm looking for the seam." She said.

"The what?"

"Got it! Service door." She explained. She dug her fingers in to the hidden crevice and tried to pull, but she didn't have much strength left. Mikey got the idea and he followed her example. His fingers were bigger, but his fingernails got in and he pulled until something gave way.

"How did you see that?" Leo asked, incredulously.

"I didn't. But it made sense for it to be there. I could explain, but I don't think you really care right now." She pointed up towards conduits converging on the ceiling at this point as a sort of explanation. Leo thanked whatever power there was that T'mana understood building plans. His mind flicked to her on the couch in the lair as she had nonchalantly provided him zoning maps. Mikey put his fingers on the new grip he made and pulled hard and the door burst open letting a pungent odor in.

"Ah, dude! I think several things died in there." O'Rourke shrugged and limped her way through the new threshold. Mikey followed and Leo shoved the door closed behind them. It was dark, but this seemed to be the waste area.

"Be careful what you touch." Leo warned. "Stockman's garbage is a bit more infested than your average alleyway." After several minutes O'Rourke spotted a fan that led to a vent way that led to the outside. They were a long way from the car, but Leo knew where they were on the outside. "Okay," He said. "I'm going for the car. They won't know we're out of the building yet, so it should be pretty free and clear. You two stay here out of sight."

"Leo!" Mikey protested.

"She can't go any further on that leg, Mikey. I don't like separating either, but I think it's the best option right now. Keep your shell cell on!" Mikey nodded and they moved back into the shadows as Leo darted off into the distance. He turned to face O'Rourke and helped her to a sitting position. She leaned against the wall and concentrated on breathing slowly. He was about to ask her how she was doing when she spoke first.

"How's Lyde?" She asked. She didn't move her head, but her eyes found him. He scratched his head, unsure what to say. "She's sick, isn't she?" O'Rourke guessed.

"How'd you know that?"

"Stockman brags. What's her condition?"

"She was vomiting really bad, like, blood and stuff." O'Rourke squeezed her eyes shut and opened them, indicating sympathy and frustration all at once. "But now it's like she can't move."

"Shit." O'Rourke said. "He said that would happen. Then he said that something would happen to her nerves. That it would really hurt. Bastard." She shook her head. "Then…then he said it would attack her brain functions and kill her."

"Don and Ms. Grey are working on it. She's at her lab now. I mean, two geniuses are working on Lyde. If anyone can help, it's those two." They fell into an uncomfortable silence that lasted several minutes.

"So…" He ventured. "You were gonna shoot yourself? Kick ass army girl like you couldn't think of something else?" His tone was joking, but his face betrayed his distaste of the idea. She shrugged. "A shrug? That's what I get?"

"Guess I needed the top dog to bail me out." She attempted a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. Mikey didn't laugh either. "What? No gloating?" She tried to keep the joke up.

"Guess I'm not in the gloating mood." His somber tone sobered her.

"You came for me." She stated. It wasn't a question, but her tone indicated that she didn't understand it.

"Sure we did." Mikey agreed. "You think we wouldn't?" She shrugged again. "Stop shrugging, shrugger!"

"I guess…I didn't think you would. No."

"Oh," Mikey was disappointed and a little offended. "Okay." He didn't know what to say to that.

"I'm used to not being liked." O'Rourke tried to explain. "That's why the army worked for me. You obey orders. Being liked doesn't figure into it. But this…you…are not soldiers. You didn't have to come for me. After everything I did, you…" She fell silent. The pain and fatigue was making her emotional. She needed to be quiet now.

"Awww…you just shot Donnie accidentally. Not like none of us hasn't thought about it." Mikey joked and waved his hands. "'Sides, you explained that. You didn't, like, do it because you enjoyed it or because you're a psycho. You were trying to do a rescue mission and you thought we were the bad guys. Now you know better. And, since you figured that out, you haven't shot any of us!" He ended simply with an honest smile.

O'Rourke said nothing to that and several quiet minutes passed. "I just can't let it go, though." He apologized. "You just don't seem the type to…shoot yourself." He shook his head as if trying to rid his mind of the image. "And you pulled the trigger!"At this, he turned to look at her, remembering that the bullet had split open the bridge of her nose. He took the time to actually inspect her face with his eyes. Blood had trickled down both sides of the bridge of her nose and it almost looked like tribal war paint. He hadn't noticed it right away because of the shadows they were sitting in. "And don't you dare shrug." O'Rourke sighed.

"Did you hear what Stockman said? What he pointed to in his hand?" Mikey nodded that he did. "That's your answer." He thought a moment.

"So…you were gonna shoot yourself so you wouldn't give up any info on us?" Mikey guessed. She nodded. "Awww!" Mikey teased. "You like us!" He patted her head in a condescending way, but stop when she winced. He didn't know Stockman had slammed her head into the concrete floor. "And you didn't even know we were there." O'Rourke rolled her eyes. Mikey put an arm around her in a comrade-in-arms type way. O'Rourke stiffened, but Mikey didn't pursue anything else. He just pulled her close in a 'glad you're around' motion and patted her arm. "Leo's gonna get the car and then we can sort out your leg and stuff." He looked down at her leg. "What happened to it?"

"Stockman shot out my knee." She answered matter-of-factly. Now Mikey stiffened.

"He _what_?" Gone was the playful Mikey of a few seconds ago. He removed his arm to inspect her knee. "Is this a tourniquet?" He asked.

"Yes. I don't have much of a knee left, so please leave that bandage on." She said as she saw that he was about to unwrap it.

"I didn't get to deliver my message." Mikey pouted darkly.

"Message?"

"That Stockman's a dead man."

* * *

Leo had arrived in style with the BMW and O'Rourke was stunned. Mikey, without broaching the subject, just picked her up and carried her into the car. Ms. Grey had some blankets in the back so he used that to cover the seat so O'Rourke wouldn't bleed on the leather. He belted her in and lifted her leg so that it was on the seat to slow down the bleeding as much as possible.

"All good?" He asked. She nodded in her stoic way. "Awesome." Mikey closed the door and ran around to jump into his seat. They were on their way.

"Where did you get the BMW?" She managed to ask.

"Um…compliments of Ms. Grey." Leo stated a bit embarrassed.

"Hmmm." O'Rourke mumbled. Now that they were out of immediate danger, O'Rourke was starting to really feel the pain and loss of blood. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back. She suddenly felt her leg shake. She opened her eyes to see Mikey with his hand on her good knee.

"Stay with us, okay, D?" He said. He was in the front seat and was now regretting that decision. But stopping to switch him to the back would just slow them down. "We're almost there and then we can start to patch you up."

"No. Lyde." She was too tired to argue verbosely.

"I see how it is. You think Donnie's the only one can sew some stitches? I can totally rock out the stitches." Leo remained silent and slowly increased his speed. He knew that neither Mikey nor himself could handle the damage on her leg. Only Don or maybe Ms. Grey had a shot with that. But he wasn't going to say so.

"I forgot. You're awesome." O'Rourke smiled weakly, but Mikey beamed outright.

"I knew you'd come around!" They hit a particularly large bump and O'Rourke winced. She rarely gave expression so Mikey knew it must be pretty bad. "Still with me?" She nodded that she was and forced herself to open her eyes. "Okay…let's keep you talking. So 'no' on the sour beef pizza, huh?"

"It was awful." She breathed and shifted her hurt leg.

"What's your topping then?"

"My topping? Pizza?" O'Rourke couldn't believe the ridiculous discussion she was having right now.

"Oh, it's deeper than you think."Mikey informed. "Go on…tell me and I'll totally explain. Oh…and no lying…I'll totally know." He threatened ominously. O'Rourke licked her lips.

"Pepperoni."

"Ah…a pepperoni girl. That means you're not flashy or ostentatious, but you're no plain jane, either. You like a little flavor to spice things up, but you don't go all crazy overboard." He studied her in a dramatic way, stroking his chin. "I peg you as a girl who knows how to have fun but it's gotta be with the right people to make you comfortable. Otherwise, you don't let your guard down ever." He nodded, satisfied with his assessment. O'Rourke stared at him.

"All that from pepperoni?"

"I told you! It's very informative." He thought a moment. "Now take T'mana. I bet she's plain cheese. She totally doesn't want anything messing her pizza up like pepperoni or sausage. All those pieces helter skelter on the surface…it would ruin it for her. She's very regimented." He explained.

"Do Sandra." O'Rourke mumbled.

"Hmmm." He thought a moment. "I bet her order is like ten minutes long. She knows what she wants and how she wants it. I'm guessing she's got at least three toppings on her favorite, olives are totally on there for her quirkiness, and I bet she asks for the cheese to be browned just so and the crust to be a certain way." O'Rourke actually choked out small, and painful, surprised laugh.

"Psychic." She said. Mikey grinned.

"Oh?"

"Bacon, olives and hamburger." She said. Mikey nodded in appreciation.

"A meat eater. Bacon, so she's not health conscious…or Muslim." He chuckled.

"Sour beef." She grunted. "Means you're weird." She had a slight curve to her mouth trying to smile. Mikey could tell it was difficult and she was trying to keep herself distracted.

"Hey! Are you a licensed pizza reader? I don't think so. Sour beef happens to mean crazy smart and totally smokin' while jokin'."

"I see 'crazy'…" O'Rourke pretended to look him over. Mikey rolled his eyes.

"Everyone's a critic." Mikey looked forward to see where they were. "Just a few more minutes, D."

"My mom used to call me that." Mikey couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not as her voice revealed nothing.

"It's short and sweet." Mikey agreed.

"D for demon, degenerate, deviant…" She muttered angrily, her eyes welling with tears.

"Or…" Mikey countered. "D for delightful, decent, divine, dear, deep, defender…I got loads more." He grinned and turned around and touched her knee kindly. "I think it fits, don't you?"

His only answer was for a lone tear to drop from her eye as she looked at him silently in appreciation. He squeezed her knee encouragingly and was rewarded when she reached down to grasp his hand. For a moment, he was stunned at the outward burst of affection, but he returned it with a firm press and he didn't let go until they arrived. He marveled, inwardly, at her delicate but strong fingers as they laced around his. Her hand was warm and rough with calluses, but he could feel how soft her skin was on her wrist and arm. He didn't want to let go.

**A/N: I know, I know. Surprise! O'Rourke was saved at the last minute deus ex Mikey…but you didn't really want me to kill her…did you? That's not to say I'm adverse to killing or hurting my characters…something to ponder for the future…**


	14. Chapter 14

Leo had used his shell cell so Ms. Grey came out to help O'Rourke into the house. O'Rourke was now set up with T'mana and Mrs. Callahan. Mikey was hovering and Ms. Grey was speaking with Don over O'Rourke's knee. He was explaining a procedure to her in great detail.

"You can let me know if there's any change in Lyde's condition." Don said, exhausted. O'Rourke's eyes snapped open at Lyde's name. She started to move her hands agitatedly and tried to sit up. Mikey was behind her and gently pulled her shoulders toward him and down.

"Easy…" He said.

"No…pockets." She breathed laboriously as she managed to pull out something with her wounded arm. She couldn't hold it, so it dropped to the floor. Don immediately recognized it. He bent and snatched it up.

"Is this what I think it is?"

"Stockman's." She said. Don looked at her. "More…" She indicated herself.

"I got this." T'mana said and she began to inspect O'Rourke's pockets and deposited her findings in Don's hands. T'mana was still weak, but she could sit up on her own and her ever present need to be useful drove her actions. Leo was behind her, his hand on her back for both physical and moral support. Mrs. Callahan stood next to her and just looked saddened by the events. Don now held seven flash drives in his hand.

"Ms. Grey…" He was helpless. "I…I have to go through these." Her eyes widened. "What Lyde needs may be in here." He defended. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her aside. "You can do this."

"I work with animals!" she whisper shouted. "In case you haven't noticed, that is a human female over there!" Don shrugged.

"You worked on me…now just step up to full human. You know how to do the procedure. Just imagine she's a chimpanzee."

"Are you fucking mocking me?" Ms. Grey's voice shot up an octave.

"Me? Mock the great and powerful Ms. Grey? I wouldn't dare." Don said with laughter in his eyes. "I know what I'm looking for. You said yourself you're not a virologist. I'm not either, but I think I have more background and you have lots of experience with surgery in general." He paused. "I'll be right upstairs if things get dicey." She swallowed.

"I have a laptop." She blurted. Don smiled and squeezed her shoulder.

"Then I'll be right here if things get dicey. Raph and Leo can watch Lyde for changes while I search these." The way his hand was positioned on her shoulder, he could feel her heart beat rapidly through her breastbone on his palm. He looked her in the eye. "I'm a fan for a reason, Ms. Grey. You never disappoint. And you won't now." He moved his hand from her shoulder to her cheek to give a reassuring caress and then stepped away, remembering his place with her. "Where's that laptop?"

"Um…I'll just go get it." She was jerked back into reality with the question and realized that she had an audience. Everyone politely had their eyes averted, but in such a way that Ms. Grey knew everyone had seen the tender moment. She fluttered out and the door closed swiftly behind her.

"You work fast, Romeo!" Mikey teased. Don blushed.

"I just wanted to encourage her."

"Is that what you kids are calling it today?"

"Mikey!" Don admonished. "Get your head out of the gutter. Focus!"

"Whatever, she's totally into you." The lecture died on Don's lips at these words.

"Yeah?" Everyone smiled and Mikey crowed in victory. "Mikey, you're a jerk." Don went to wait by the door.

"She's actually listening to Don." T'mana said with wonder, so only Leo could hear her. He looked at her.

"She listens to you, why shouldn't she listen to Don?" Leo asked.

"I'm a woman." T'mana shrugged.

"Is she a man hater or something?"

"Do you see any men around other than you and your brothers?" T'mana sighed. "She never gives men positions of power in her company. She doesn't trust them with anything important. Since she's a private operation, she doesn't get hassled with affirmative action lawsuits, but everyone pretty much knows." To her surprise, Leo smiled.

"I guess being a turtle actually helped his cause." She smiled too, getting the joke.

"It would appear so."

Ms. Grey returned and was startled to see Don waiting for her so closely by the door. Mikey laughed again and Don shot him a murderous look as he delicately took the laptop from her hands. "I'll be right over there." He nodded with his head towards a table and chair.

O'Rourke was already on a long table and the surgical instruments had been wheeled in. Ms. Grey, like Don, had a fully equipped lab. She often had to perform surgeries on the animals she rescued, but she had never performed a surgery on a human before. She hated to admit it, but the reason she had been so calm with Don was because she told herself he was more animal than human. It had calmed her down and given her the courage to help. But there was no avoiding that O'Rourke was all human.

Ms. Grey went to the sink in the kitchen area and began to wash. She lifted her eyes enough so she could see Don. His attention was already focused on the data he was scrolling through on the laptop. He was unlike anyone she had ever met, turtleness aside. He had no problem standing up to her, but he always did it in a polite or honorable way. She recalled the phone call yesterday when she had just laid into him. The only thing he had shouted at her was to give him her name. A fair point. He had given his. Then, when she actually met him, again, turtleness aside, he remained polite and fair, but also impressed her with his intelligence and knowledge of her field. And today, he further impressed her by showing he had other pursuits he was equally entrenched in like technology and viruses. He knew a lot about a lot. But he wasn't arrogant about it and he kept referring to her work in a useful way instead of pandering to her. He seemed to genuinely respect her and it was this reason, this reason only, that she was now considering listening to him when he said that she was capable of doing this surgery.

Twice he had shown her affection beyond what a general acquaintance would show: the kiss on the forehead and the touch on her cheek. But she saw Mikey now holding O'Rourke's hand, though she had been knocked out by anesthesia, Leo was again touching T'mana's back as they spoke, a tender smile on his lips and she knew Raph, the angry one, held Lyde and talked to her even as vomit dribbled onto his shell. What kind of creatures were these? They had been so resistant, but when danger came up, they were protective and loyal and so _quickly_.

She finished washing her hands and moved to the table and picked up her first instrument. She supposed it was what they were that made them so …open. Now that the ladies had proven they weren't enemies to them, the hurdle had been jumped and they were welcomed with open arms. Was that all it was? Loneliness and willingness to have anyone in their lives? It was certainly understandable, but also somewhat disappointing. And yet…he had known her before he had actually spoken and met with her. Didn't that stand for something deeper than the simple convenience of having met? She looked up and saw Don watching her. His face slowly lifted in a kind, encouraging smile that went all the way to his eyes. Then he nodded. No one else saw this exchange and so she believed it.

She looked down at O'Rourke's leg and began. Once she was in, it became automatic to her. She didn't notice that Don continued to watch her until he felt she was comfortable with the operation. She was too busy trying to sort out the mess that had been O'Rourke's knee. The bullet was a hollow point that had flattened on impact which made the bone just below her kneecap shatter. There was no fixing that right now, but it was a blessing. Now, after cutting away the muscle that was beyond repair, she cleaned it and saw the actual joint itself was still intact and she thanked whatever power there was for that. However, the kneecap was fractured in several places. Not shattered, per se. Not beyond repair, but it was dicey.

She had been working for an hour and a half when she heard Don speak to her and noticed that he was standing right next to her.

"Don't move." She wasn't sure why he said that, but she stopped her hands, making sure they were outside of O'Rourke so she didn't accidentally nick anything, and remained frozen. She felt a cloth touch her forehead to remove the perspiration that had been building. She hadn't realized it, but it was streaming down her one cheek. She straightened. She didn't want to sweat onto the wound! He dabbed her forehead a bit more forcefully and then put another cloth to her face that was dampened with cool water. "Better?" She nodded. He lifted a glass to her lips and she took a large swallow. She looked at him and saw that he was looking down at her handy work. "A fine job, Ms. Grey." He complimented. "If you need another refresh, just call out." She nodded again and he left and went back to the laptop. She bent down and went back to the procedure.

Mikey was still holding O'Rourke's hand. He had been practically bathed in antiseptic and was staring into the leg. He remained quiet, but was deeply disturbed to see the inside of a person like that, especially one he knew and spoke to. The flesh of the leg had been cut, split and opened so the bone was revealed like in a butcher shop. It was hard to believe that the leg could be closed up and go back to looking like a normal leg. And O'Rourke, Mikey had noticed, had very nice legs.

While they had been prepping her leg, Mikey had cleaned the bridge of her nose and had used butterfly bandages to seal it. He looked down at her face now. She was pale, but not alarmingly so. Her red hair haloed out around her head since her ponytail holder had been ripped out by Stockman's grab. The skin immediately around the wound on her nose was red and then turned purplish with bruising. Mikey had wiped the blood away so her face looked peaceful in the drug-induced sleep. He knew she was a tough woman, a warrior, so he wondered how she would cope with the condition of her leg after this. Mikey was no doctor, but he knew that a battered knee cap meant she wouldn't have the same dexterity and reflexes that she had before. It would take a lot of work to get her back to walking, let alone fighting the good fight.

Without making a conscious thought about it, he knew that he wanted to be the one to help her find herself again. He had done it before with Leo after the Shredder almost killed him. Mikey never let him give up on himself and helped him celebrate small victories to show his progress. He didn't know what it was about O'Rourke, but he wanted to crack that army exterior. He had seen the woman back in the car for a moment. The soldier had vanished and he had seen her true self. Also, he reasoned devilishly, it didn't hurt that she was a total babe. The whole femme fatale thing totally worked for her and it got his blood pumping. Who knew? He liked that she was dark and dangerous, but he also saw something else in her, too. And he didn't know what it was, but he wanted to dig deeper for it.

Of all his brothers, Mikey knew that he was the most optimistic and the most at peace with their way of life. He genuinely enjoyed almost every minute of every day. There were things that did suck, like the Shredder and the Foot, and now, of course, Stockman. He knew Stockman was a bad dude. Had seen some of his nasty handiwork, but it hadn't really permeated that thick layer of protection he coated himself with in his sunny disposition. But now, seeing O'Rourke pale and fragile with her leg split open all because of this man…he definitely understood Leo better now. The fear of being helpless.

Mikey hadn't been there when the Foot attacked his family and killed his father. He regretted that every day, but he also knew that if he hadn't patrolled, that might have caused other problems, too. His brothers had comforted him and he did find his peace and was able to be himself again. But Leo never did. The death of Splinter killed the innocence and joy in his brother. Mikey knew it was a loss, Splinter was their father. But he never could understand Leo losing himself like that. Becoming dark, laughless and suspicious. Then T'mana had kind of weaseled her way in and Stockman, royal douche, almost took her, too. He saw Leo falling away again further as T'mana didn't wake up. And now, Mikey was waiting to see if O'Rourke came out of this okay. And it was a new feeling for him.

He felt angry, disappointed, ashamed, afraid…all things that he tried to avoid. But he wished he had been there to stop Stockman. He wished he had gotten there sooner so O'Rourke wouldn't now be looking so broken. So hurt. And he couldn't fix her knee. Ms. Grey was doing what she could, but Mikey couldn't help with that. Or even with rehab. So he knew he would just have to rely on his charms and hope that O'Rourke wouldn't fall away the same way Leo had. O'Rourke seemed pretty close to the edge already, shooting herself without hesitation as if her life meant nothing. He hadn't known her very long, but she meant something to Mikey. And he wanted to mean something to her. He didn't know what that would be, but he was willing to stick it out. If he could handle Raph after being pwned by Mikey in WOW, then he could handle O'Rourke. Mikey leaned back in his chair and imagined all the possible ways he could handle her, a small leering grin ghosting his face.

* * *

After several hours, Ms. Grey finished and closed up the leg. She went to the sink to wash very quickly and saw Don out of the corner of her eye approach her. She turned and before he could speak, she did.

"I'm going to check on Lyde. You should keep looking since we seem to be running out of time." The coldness in her voice gave him pause and he nodded slowly then stepped aside, allowing her to rush out of the room and go up two flights of stairs. She burst into the room with accidental drama as she tried to escape the crowd downstairs. Raph's head snapped to her and she saw Leo there as well. She hadn't seen Leo leave, so she was surprised to find him there also.

"Any change?" She asked, as casually as she could. Raph shook his head.

"No. She just lies there, but her eyes are still leakin'." Raph answered.

"How is O'Rourke?" Leo asked.

"She's alive. I didn't kill her." Ms. Grey replied brusquely.

"I didn't think you wou-"

"Well, I'll go back down then if there's no change here." She did an about face and left. She found the empty room on the far end of the hallway, her private quarters. She stopped in the middle of the room and clutched her torso. She couldn't stop it, but she felt the tears come in a violent torrent. She covered her mouth and held in her scream of frustration. What the hell had happened to her life in just a few days? She did not like not being in control. She did not like that she had endangered the lives of three of her dearest employees. She considered them friends, but she wasn't sure it was mutual. Lyde could die. Lyde was dying. Part of her believed she could go into that room, shake Lyde and scare the life back into her. But the truth was, she was utterly helpless and had no way to save her friend. She went into the bathroom and ran cold water to splash on her face. She looked at herself in the mirror and was disgusted.

"Weak." She muttered at herself. "You are Sandra fucking Grey and you do not let fear fuck with you. You are a brilliant biologist and your huge bank roll proves that. You always win. No matter how fucking hard they come at you, you always fucking win." She took a deep breath. "Sandra fucking Grey never loses." She recalled all the people in her life who tried to ruin her or take advantage. She had conquered them all. This would be no different. She splashed her face calmly and patted it dry. She fixed her make-up and stood tall as she checked her reflection again. Her eyes were red, but that was the only tell tale sign. She put drops in her eyes and it would be gone in minutes. Every now and again, her heart got soft. But it always hardened again. She sighed with finality. The bitch was back.

* * *

Don kept glossing over the data. There was so much of it his eyes were starting to get grainy. Leo had called twice to let him know that Lyde was the same. He took that to be good news since any change most likely would mean her death. To give his eyes a break, he would look around the room and blink. For the past several times, he hadn't seen Ms. Grey. And Leo mentioned that she had stopped in and left. So where was she? He shifted in his chair and went back to the data.

There was something in the way she had left the room, like she couldn't wait to leave. He wasn't sure if it was because of the surgery or because of him. He knew he had crossed the line with her not once but twice. She clearly had no idea the effect she had on him. He had been following her work ever since she was first published. He watched her grow scientifically and become more prominent in the world. He enjoyed her success because he was pleased that someone with her knowledge and gifts was respected and honored for it. These were things he would never receive himself so he reveled in her success even though it was not his own. He felt she deserved it. And now to meet her, to see her, to smell her scent and feel the softness of her skin, made her more than just his figurative hero. She was now flesh and blood. His feelings for her previously had been friendly and good natured or a simple 'crush', but now they were plunged into raw depth simply because of her proximity. It was nothing in comparison to his simple appreciation of T'mana's company when they had first met. This was far more urgent and overwhelming. She was now real. And she had flaws. She was surly and arrogant and commanding. But there was something else, too. The something that drove her to help him with his bullet wound despite the terrible oddness and stress of the situation. The something that pushed her to speak with him about her projects and the reasons behind them at the pizza dinner yesterday.

She was hard and distant. But when she was truly needed, she was there and would not back down. She hunted for T'mana and found her. She backed up both Lyde and O'Rourke today and would continue until it was over. Don knew there was no use denying it. His hero image of her had not been shattered, but supremely strengthened. Whether she returned it or not, Don knew that his crush had bloomed overnight into something far stronger. It terrified him, but it was also beyond his control at this point. Clearly, since he couldn't seem to keep his hands off her. She was stressed so she politely ignored his impromptu advances. But when things settled down, she would be disgusted and repulsed. She would realize that a giant mutant turtle had kissed her. That would be worst case scenario. Best case would be that she would disregard it and chalk it up to the stress of the situation. Either way, Don knew this wasn't going anywhere. He understood Leo much better now.

The door opened and Don couldn't help but allow himself to be distracted to see if it was her. It was. Her face was determined and firm, but even at the distance from the desk to the door, he could tell her eyes were red. She had been crying. But everything else seemed perfectly in place so she clearly did not want to draw attention to it. She had changed clothes. She was now wearing jeans and a floral print shirt that made her look stunning in Don's eyes.

"How's Lyde?" T'mana asked. Sandra turned to look at her.

"No change." With that, she walked up to Don, who stood abruptly giving the impression he wanted to stand out of courtesy as a gentleman. "Which drives still need to be looked at?" Her voice wasn't cruel, but blunt. She was all business. He picked up three of them. He had gone through two already. But he knew where she was going with this. So he kept two for himself.

"These." He said. She held out her hand. Don stared for a moment.

"I know I'm not a virologist, but I'm not an idiot either. If I see something that could relate, I'll bring it to your attention. I think we need another set of eyes. You can double check, but it might speed things along." She kept her hand out. Wordlessly, Don placed them in her hand. "My desktop is upstairs." He nodded that he understood. She hesitated a moment, thought better of it, then left the room without another sound.

"Dude…she okay? She's all-"

"Shut up, Mike." Don said firmly. He sat down and went back to his data.

* * *

Sandra set up shop in the lab upstairs so she was alone. She had stopped in to check on Lyde, saw her heartbeat was regular again and made a decision. She injected a little more adrenaline. Not the full dose they had previously given, but one third. Both turtles thanked her. _Thanked_ her. _They_ thanked _her_ for helping _her_ friend. She didn't say anything, just nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak. The quake in her voice would be a dead giveaway that she was losing her shit.

But now she had a new purpose…or distraction as the case may be. The lab was quiet and she could hear each keystroke she made. This Stockman had some pretty interesting plans. Nothing incriminating per se, but things that might rock the foundation of the science world because of the moral implications. She kept scanning and dismissed most of what she saw. These things would have to be investigated later when there was time to comprehend the consequences. But that time was not now. She finished the first flash drive and moved on to the next.

After another hour, her eyes started to glaze. She blinked and put drops in them every half hour or so. But now, her mind was starting to fuzz up. She hoped she hadn't missed something because she had faded out into la la land. As she thought this, something caught her eye and her body reacted physically as if someone had suddenly shouted boo! Her heart jumped and her pulse escalated. She re-read the data several times, then wrote down where it was located in the drive. She whipped the drive out, ran down three flights of stairs and opened the door again. Once again, she felt all heads snap over to her. As calmly as she could she walked up to Don. He stood and she knew he read her face like an open book.

"What did you find?" He asked desperately. She held out the drive and the piece of paper with the location on it. He dropped down and immediately switched it out and began the search. She could tell the moment he found what she had. His eyes went wide and he began to write notes on a pad that he had set on the table. He scrolled and then wrote some more. Again he scrolled, but this time he froze as if horrified by what he read. He grabbed the scrap of paper and ran full speed out the door. By the time Sandra got to the door, Don was too far ahead to be seen. She knew where he was going so she climbed quickly up to Lyde's room. A little hesitant at what she would find. She squeaked the door open a crack to find all three turtles circled around Lyde. Don was at the center checking her pupils and her throat.

"Why is her heart rate still so high?" He mumbled nervously.

"I gave her more adrenaline." She answered. He turned, surprised to see her there.

"Oh, good. I thought…" He turned back to Lyde.

"What did you see?" Ms. Grey challenged him. Don stood from his bent position and did not turn to her. He seemed to ignore her question. But Raph wanted an answer as well.

"Don, what? You bolted in here like a bat outta hell. Why? What did you expect to see?"

"The data…it said there were four stages. The first is the incubation period where the virus gets strong. The second is the vomiting blood. The third…" He hesitated. "Attacks the nerves, causing paralyses. It also causes the nerves to misfire giving the sensation of pain. The fourth..." He dove into the next, not wanting to hear the horror over the third stage that the poor girl had been enduring. "Goes to the brain and effectively shuts down all involuntary actions. Stockman hypothesized it would first shut down breathing causing death by asphyxiation or death by stopping the heart." He took a breath. "She appears to still be in the third stage. I think the adrenaline arrested the process enough to keep it from entering the fourth stage. We still have a chance." Don removed himself from the circle of his brothers.

"She might still be okay?" Raph asked.

"She might." Don allowed. "I have to get back to it." He turned to face them again. "Any change…I don't care how slight, you tell me immediately." Both brothers nodded.

"Hell yeah. No problem." Raph confirmed. Don walked past Ms. Grey and she fell in step with him.

"Did you find what you need to create a vaccine?"

"I'm not sure." Don rubbed his head and started to jog down the stairs. She kept up.

"Do you know how long it will take to make it?"

"I don't know!" Don shouted as he yanked open the door to the room with the laptop. He sighed without stopping his stride and he put his hands to his temples in remorse. "I don't know." He said softer and with an edge of panic. "She's suffering and I don't know…" He plopped down into the chair and grabbed the pen, ready to take notes.

"Well…" She knew he was panicking and so she tried grounding him back with logic. "What types of things are normally in a vaccine? Like ingredients to a recipe. What are the basics? I can start getting that ready. Just tell me what you need." He stared at her for a moment and then tore a new page out of the notebook. He shook his head with a faint smile.

"Ingredients to a recipe." He repeated, amused despite his despair. He began to write. "I'll need these things at the very least. I'll probably need more unique things once I start really digging in, but I also listed equipment that would be ideal…" He handed her the list and watched her peruse it.

"These are not a problem. I'll get it set up." He let out a breath in relief and turned back to the laptop. She knew she was dismissed and turned without a thought.

"Hey!" Mikey said. "Can I help?"

"Uh…thanks, but I'll be fine. I work better alone. No offense." She didn't stop and went directly to the lab to set up the equipment and materials. While she wasn't a microbiologist, she had to be very aware of how to treat illness with her animals since they were endangered. She kept a stock of biological items like proteins, beta blockers, cellular solutions and the like to make sure her animals were healthy. She almost always had animals on the premises. This estate was outside of the city limits and had a large keep that was several miles. The animals were tagged for safety reasons to make sure they remained healthy. But she could only use this home for animals native to North America and the climate in New York. She had various hubs for when she jumped around the globe. Right now, she was housing prairie dogs on her property and they were doing very well.

It didn't take her long to have all the equipment out, so then she focused on the 'ingredients' and preparing them for use. After that was done, she went to get the final ingredient on her list. She opened the door and Lyde's turtle sentinels turned to face Sandra.

"I need to take some blood." She said with authority. Leo moved backward to allow her access. She swabbed Lyde's arm and took the blood.

"Any headway, doc?" Raph asked.

"Maybe. There was some information on one of the drives. Don is working on it now. I'm getting the lab set up for vaccine production. And this…" She indicated the syringe filling with blood. "Is a necessary piece." She finished and put a band-aid with a cotton ball on Lyde's puncture. She noticed that Raph had a bandage on his arm.

"How are _you_?" She asked. Raph didn't seem to know she was talking to him. His eyes were back on Lyde. "Red…how are you?" he looked up.

"Me? Why?" She smiled weakly and pointed to his bandage. "Oh, that's nothin'. I ain't complainin'."

"No." She agreed. "You aren't. So it's okay, then? No burning, itching, irritation or strong throbbing?"

"No, nothin' like that. Like I said, it's nothin'." She nodded and let her eyes wander back to Lyde. She put a hand on Lyde's forehead and brushed her bangs out of the way. She noted, with a little shock, that Raph, discretely, was holding Lyde's hand. From her previous position it had seemed that his hand was resting there. But now she could tell he was holding it. "What?" Raph snapped, since he saw her staring at him.

"You're holding her hand." She blurted.

"That a problem…_doc_?" He said 'doc' derisively.

"No. You just don't seem the hand holding type, _ass_." She returned. He grinned.

"You're right. Hand holding is normally for wimps and lovey dovey crap." She raised an eyebrow at his retort. "But she ain't a wimp and neither am I. And this ain't lovey dovey. I just think she would want to know she ain't alone. I don't know if she can hear, but Don said she can definitely feel, so…" he shrugged. "Screw you."

"Understood." She started to leave.

"Dr. Grey?" She turned to Leo.

"The 'doctor' isn't necessary."

"You are one, aren't you?" Raph asked, suddenly concerned.

"Yes. I have a doctorate in veterinary medicine."

"So then, Doctor Grey is correct." Leo said. She sighed.

"Yes, but not necessary. I'm perfectly happy with Ms. Grey. I've been called worse." Raph chuckled, but Leo was remembering what T'mana had said earlier.

"Okay…how are _you_ doing?" Leo asked. She was startled by the question. That much was obvious.

"Fine. Thank you." Her response was stiff and automatic. Leo raised and eye ridge.

"Okay, now that we got the autopilot out of the way, I'll ask again. How are you doing?" She stared at him as if she didn't know how to respond. "It must be a lot to deal with." Leo offered. "T'mana missing, giant mutant turtles, surprise shattered kneecap surgery, psychotic experimenting doctors, illogical viruses. I'm sure it takes its toll."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"It sounds pretty fucked up." Raph jumped in.

"Yes." She agreed. "I'll deal with everything…later. I suppose."

"Yeah, 'cause that's healthy." Raph grated.

"Oh, because you're such a shining example of coping, aren't you?" She turned on Raph. "_You_ are pissed at the world and you let everyone you come across know it. Lyde was terrified of you. She's normally a bubbly, cheerful, laughing girl. A little bit like Mikey, I suppose. But you didn't see any of that because you were too busy scaring the piss out of her with your goddamn attitude. And don't think for one second that I don't know you feel guilty for that, because your fucking hand holding hers speaks volumes more than your cussing ever could."

"Doctor Grey," Leo intervened, but she wheeled on him.

"Don't fucking call me that!" Leo stepped back at the ferocity of her reply. "Well, there's your fucking answer, Leo." She fell quiet. "God damn it." She whispered. "This fucking nightmare just needs to end."

"That's better." Raph said. "That's more what I expected from you."

"You don't know me enough to expect anything." She bristled again.

"Ms. Grey," Leo tried again.

"And I don't want a lecture from you, either." Her voice was calmer, but still housed a great deal of anger. "We all suck at dealing with shit. Or you'd be downstairs with T'mana who woke up yesterday from being stabbed. And you can tell yourself that you want to be here for your brother, but I think we all know that's not the only reason." She huffed. "Well, I think I need to leave so I can stop being such a bitch. Or I'll really get out of hand." She turned and walked out the door leaving Leo and Raph contemplating her words.


	15. Chapter 15

Sandra went back to the lab and sat at the desk. Don knew where to find her and she didn't want to be around anyone right now. She was not in a happy place and she didn't want to cause any more pain than what everyone was already feeling. Leo had tried to reach out to her and she tore him and his brother a new one. He was trying to be nice. But she didn't accept nice from most people. It usually meant condescension and she hated that. She did not want to be pandered to and she did not want any pity. She wouldn't allow herself to think about O'Rourke anymore. It sent her into a spin. And she knew she would crash and burn eventually, because she would have to face it some time, but not now. Not when she could still possibly help Lyde.

She decided to distract herself since thinking was only making things worse. She leaned back in her chair and looked around for inspiration. She decided music healed everything so she began to sing quietly to herself. She picked rock music, nothing too sappy or sad, but mostly driving and pumped up music. She started with 'Paint it Black' by the Stones and followed up with 'I am the Walrus' by the Beatles. She was a classic rock addict. She was working her way through '25 or 6 to 4' by Chicago, when Don came in. She didn't notice him right away. She was getting really into the chorus when she heard the door shut. She spun around in the swivel chair and stood immediately when she saw him. Embarrassment aside, she was glad to see him. It could only be good news.

"You got it?" She asked with trepidation. His face split into a smile and he waved the paper in his hands.

"I got it." He looked around quickly and saw everything was set. He handed her another piece of paper. "Do you have this?" She took it from him and shook her head.

"No. Fuck."

"Not surprising. It's not typical upkeep for someone's health." She had one hand on her hip and the other on her forehead while she was deep in thought. She whipped out her cell and speed dialed someone.

"Denise? I got one fuck of a doozy for you, Deej." She paused. "If only. I kinda gotta crises on my hands here. One of my prairie dogs contracted some viral disease and I don't have one of the…" She paused again. "How the fuck did you know? Right, my bad. You are awesome and I bow before your awesomeness. Can I swing by to grab it?" Another pause. "No, I'd rather you didn't. It's complicated, but the press is involved and I'd rather not subject you to that. No, they won't follow me, but you'll get slammed at my place." She stopped again. "That would be great. No paperwork means no story. I don't want the Wildlife Association on my ass…Thanks, Deej. I owe you like twenty. Grey out." She slammed her phone shut. "I'll be back." She said and swept out of the room.

Don got to work on preparing everything else so it was ready when Sandra returned. When he was done setting up what he could, he went back to Lyde's room to monitor the micro-camera Ms. Grey had set up. He observed for almost forty five minutes and confirmed that his vaccine should work. He returned back to the lab and looked over his set up again, feeling helpless as he waited. Ms. Grey was gone just over an hour. When she walked back into the room she placed the packet down on the table where Don was sitting.

"You're amazing." Don said, grateful that Sandra had the ability to get what he needed for Lyde. She said nothing, but watched him work. He could only go so far without the piece Sandra was getting, so he started where he left off and worked meticulously. They would only have one shot at this.

She watched as he measured and weighed everything to exact perfection, taking no chances. He was fast, but accurate and she was amazed by his rapid and fluid movements that managed to not disturb anything. If she had been moving the way he was, items would have been knocked off the desk and liquids would have spilled over their containers. It was like a dance. And she noted with further admiration, that he did it with three large fingers instead of five dexterous ones. It was in that moment that she realized Don was a far superior scientist than she could ever hope to be. It was a humbling moment for her. She, with all her education and experience in the world, could not hold a candle to the full fire of his immense knowledge and skill and he had done it completely on his own with no help from anyone. It was what she had wanted to be. Strange as it may seem, after everything she had been through, she would have gladly changed places with him.

Finally, he stopped moving and held a syringe in his hand. He was staring at it as if it contained all the secrets to the universe. Desire, fear, and hope merged on his face as he looked up at her slowly.

"Is that…" She couldn't finish, she was so afraid.

"I…think it might be." She nodded and walked over to him to take the syringe from his hand.

"No," he said. "I'll…I'll do it."

"Don," She began firmly.

"If it fails…I'll do it." He reaffirmed. Without another word he left the room and went to Lyde's side. She followed him and watched as he prepared her arm for the injection. He hesitated only a moment and then proceeded.

"We should know within the half hour." He said.

"What should we look for?" Leo asked.

"She'll either move…or she won't." Don set the empty syringe on the nightstand and left the room. Again, Sandra followed him. He didn't know she was there. He assumed she would stay by Lyde's side. He stopped in the hallway and leaned against the wall, taking a minute for himself.

"Don?" She asked, tentatively. He stood straight up at her voice and turned to her, unsure why she was there. When he turned, he saw her holding out a handkerchief. He frowned in confusion. She mimed wiping her brow with it and held it out again. He took it reluctantly, as if admitting weakness by sweating. She knew the feeling.

"Follow me." She said and turned around fully expecting him to do so. He did and found himself in a bedroom. She turned around and pointed him to another room within the bedroom. "You can…um…take a minute in there." She said. He went in and saw that it was a bathroom. He blushed a little and closed the door.

He took a moment to look around. It was not what he expected a woman's bathroom to look like. He imagined make up and perfume bottles littering the sink countertop and various canisters of cream and face wash. Instead, there was a lone electric toothbrush. Nothing else was on the marble surface. He looked toward the toilet and expected to see some items on top of it, but it was also clear. The room itself was white and there was a green accent rug. The shower curtain was a green and blue pattern that reminded him of Monet art. All the decorations were functional. No extra flair.

He used the facilities and then washed up. He cleaned his face as well and his arms since he had worked himself up into a near fit from all the pressure he felt on his shoulders. He took a breath and then stepped out, knowing the longer he stayed in there, the odder it would seem.

"You okay?" She asked. Her voice was soft, so different from the harsh, brusque tone earlier. It made him feel he should be honest.

"No." He did not elaborate. "Is this your room?" He asked for the sake of redirection. She blushed this time.

"Yes. It's the only bathroom that doesn't currently have an audience with it."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it." They stood there awkwardly for a moment. Then Sandra sat down on the very edge of her bed. "No matter what happens, you did everything you could." She tried to comfort.

"It might not be enough." He couldn't look at her.

"I know." She acquiesced. Her voice shook. The shake in her voice cut him because he read it as her agreeing with his possible failure. "I don't think O'Rourke will be able to bend her knee anymore. She might be able to get around without crutches after intense physical therapy but…nothing more."

"Ms. Grey-"

"With one phone call…_one phone call_, I have managed to ruin eight lives. I have never fucked up so badly in my entire life."

"Ms. Grey-"

"I sent T'mana to that crazy fuck to begin with! Then I sent in O'Rourke and she shot you. Then O'Rourke and Lyde get tangled in this sick mess and O'Rourke loses her knee and Lyde might lose her life. And your brothers are stuck in the middle of all of this because I made the fucking judgment call to-"

"Sandra!" He shouted kindly, as he grabbed her face and bent so that he was looking her straight in the eye. He had her attention. "You're a good person, so you're blaming yourself. But this isn't on you. If you hadn't made that call, a different set of bad things would have happened. I can say that phone call saved at least two of my brothers. T'mana got Leo out. If she hadn't, Stockman would have harmed my brother and Raph…he would have lost it and gone after Stockman himself. Which means that Mikey and I would have led an attack and let's face it, I'm not a good enough warrior to fight of the entire horde of Foot ninja _and_ Stockman, so that would leave Mikey alone. My entire family might have been wiped out. And more besides. We can't go down that road, because this is the reality we're in right now. And it sucks." He sighed. "I've had my brother's lives on my shoulders before, but they knew what they were getting into. This is the life we've grown up with and known since we were born. But Lyde…she was trying to help us because she didn't want us hurt. We never should have let her do it. But we did…and I don't know if I saved her or…" He couldn't finish. He had slowly let his hands drop and he looked away from her.

"I'm going to fucking kill him." She growled, tears glistening in her eyes.

"No. You won't." Don commanded with fire in his eyes. "You are not going anywhere _near_ him."

"You can't stop me." She argued, standing up and pulling away from him. He grabbed her arm as he stood as well.

"I can and I will."

"No one fucking stops me. No one!"

"If it is the last thing I do, Sandra Grey, I will keep you safe. No matter what it entails." His voice was hard and determined, daring her to challenge him.

"Why do you fucking care?" She whimpered incredulously, caught off guard by the strong loyalty and protection he was offering her.

"The world is a better place with you." He answered simply, as if this should explain everything. She turned away from him and he let his arm drop.

"You clearly don't know me very well." She took a shaky breath. "Just fucking go."

"Why? Because you're upset? If you weren't upset I would think you were the most heartless creature on the planet. That's why Stockman's a monster. You're allowed to get upset. You can't be strong every minute of every day for the rest of your life. This doesn't make you weak. It makes you honorable. I tell Raph this all the time. Getting upset means you care."

"It's just…too fucking much." She whispered. "I mean, five days ago, my life was normal. Now everything I've ever believed in has been flipped upside down and scattered to the wind. Now the world includes giant mutated turtles. That changes everything for me. Can you understand that? It opens a whole new door of possibilities that I'm not ready to wrap my brain around. And on top of that, a psychotic doctor is on my heels. Even if by some fucking miracle we all survive today, we still have tomorrow to contend with and whole new set of fucking problems. This isn't even close to being over."

"Yes, it is." He said firmly. "For you it is. My brothers and I will finish this fight. Besides, Leo said O'Rourke shot him twice. Once was in the chest. With any luck, he's no longer a problem."

"Yeah, only if our luck changes."

"Here's hoping." He said. She took a really good look at him. Something she hadn't allowed herself to do with everything that was going on. They really were remarkable. A perfect harmony of turtle and human. He pretty much had the body of a man wrapped in a carapace and plastron. His feet and hands had fewer digits, but the form was still there. His face was rounded and expressive. She could easily see what he was feeling. She sat back down on her bed and snorted back a chuckle.

"Something amusing?" He asked, confused.

"I was just…remembering something." She smiled and shook her head. "It's uh…not important."

"Well, you have to tell me now. You can't just laugh and say 'never mind'." He said with a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

"Well I just did."

"What was it? I'm going to keep asking until you say." She sighed.

"I was just remembering…our first phone call." She chuckled again and started to mimic his timid and polite voice. "T'mana's not available right now, may I take a message?" Don smirked, showing mock offense.

"Oh, come on. What was I supposed to say?"

"I don't know. You were just…SO polite."

"Well I'm sorry that I was polite to you. Please forgive me." She was still chuckling. It was threatening to be a full on laugh if she wasn't careful.

"Here I am, cussing like a sailor and you're trying to take messages like a phone service."

"You did cuss like a sailor." He agreed. "I didn't expect that." He shrugged, embarrassed.

"Did you hang up and cuss me out after the fact?" She asked, a smile still prevalent on her face.

"No." Was all he said.

"No? After I railroaded you into the next county?" She persisted. He shook his head. "Oh, come on. Not even a little?"

"I think I might have said 'that sucked'." He offered.

"Oh, you trash mouth you. I am a lady after all."

"That's debatable." He teased. Her eyebrows went up in mock shock.

"My, my. What a sharp tongue you have. I'll have to watch myself."

"No, you won't have to. I'm terrible at comments like that. Even in fun."

"Well, you can get schooled by the best."

"Raph has tried since birth to get me to trip up. So, you'll have your work cut out for you." He smiled boyishly and looked away. Again, awkward silence fell. It was becoming a habit.

"Thanks." She said.

"For what? Letting you school me?"

"No. For seeing me at my worst and not taking the bait. Most people do." She shrugged. "You just…let me shout. You just…listened."

"You sound surprised. That's what friends do. They listen."

"But we're not friends." He raised an eye ridge.

"Aren't we? After everything that's happened, I don't think the term 'acquaintance' is going to cover it."

"But you don't really know me." He didn't want to let her know how that wasn't entirely the case. He didn't want to creep her out. A stalker mutant turtle.

"I think experiences like these are quite telling. You really know who someone is during times of stress. You learn about yourself, too." He sighed. "I think we should go um... check on Lyde." She nodded.

"Here's hoping." She repeated.

* * *

Raph had been expounding in great detail to Leo what he was going to do to Stockman when he finally saw him. Leo let him rant.

"I'll gut that fucker and make him suffer. I'll filet his ass and beat'im to a bloody pulp. I'll rip-" He halted. Leo looked over, wondering what caused the sudden silence.

"Raph?" He asked, standing up from his chair.

"Hey…" Raph said softly. "If you can hear me…do that again." A pause. "Holy fuck! Leo! She squeezed my hand!" Leo immediately went to Lyde's side and Raph set his hand with hers still in it on her torso for easy viewing. "C'mon. One more time. Tell me I'm not crazy." Leo distinctly saw her fingers twitch and close ever so slightly. Raph said nothing but looked at Leo.

"I saw it." He confirmed. They both grinned. Just then, Don and Ms. Grey stepped in. Leo met them.

"She's coming around. I saw her hand move. Raph felt it. It's working." Don grinned and moved to Lyde's side with Ms. Grey following close behind.

"You're doin' great." Raph said. "Knew that fucker wouldn't keep you down." Don saw her fingers move and her eyelids flashed open. Still no other movement and her eyes remained stationary. Ms. Grey let out a cry of joy and kissed Lyde on the forehead. But then she backed away. Don went closer to Lyde and began taking her vitals.

"Lyde you're doing a phenomenal job." He said. "Everything looks good. You'll start to get feeling back slowly. Keep testing and let us know where you are, okay?" A breath puffed from her lips. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." Don smiled.

"Do we need to do anythin'?" Raph asked. "To move it along?" Don thought a moment. He picked up Lyde's other hand and began to massage it finger by finger.

"Maybe that?" Don said. "It might help boost nerve sensitivity." Raph nodded and began to do that on the hand he currently held. "Arms and legs, too." Raph nodded. "It might take a while. A few hours."

"We ain't goin'anywhere." Raph said. Don nodded. He looked back and saw that Ms. Grey was easing herself out of the room. He followed her just in time to see her dart into her room. The door hadn't quite closed behind her so he went in to find her standing in the middle of the room sobbing violently. He stepped fully inside and let the door close silently behind him to give her some privacy from the others. Her cries were so forceful it sounded like her throat was ripping apart.

"Sandra?" He asked, letting her know he was there. She put her hands over her face and shook her head.

"Oh god. Just go. Please." She moaned. "No one should see me like this." She hugged herself and another sob wracked her body. It broke his heart to see her so pained. He couldn't leave her like this. Instead, he went all in. He gambled with everything he had and walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He could tell she was stunned for a moment. He wondered if she would throw him off, push him away. But she didn't. He held her tighter with the lack of resistance and whispered in her ear from behind.

"It's going to be okay. Things are working out, Sandra. Lyde's waking. We all survived this." She didn't stop crying, but she didn't move either. Gently, he walked her over to the edge of the bed. She sat down when he did. He still had his arms around her and started to rock her a little. She began to stir so he made his arms pliable. He didn't move them, but if she did, he would let her move them. Instead, she turned into him and embraced him. She buried her face in his neck and he pulled her closer. He rubbed his hand up and down her back in a calming manner. He didn't say anything else. He just let her cry. After a while, she started to calm down and was finally silent.

"Sandra?" He asked softly. He noted that her breathing was steady and he guessed she was now asleep. He picked her up and laid her out on the bed, making sure a pillow cushioned her head and a blanket covered her before he left. He used her bathroom and wiped his neck. It was sticky from dried tears. Not that he minded. He left her to rest and went to go check on Lyde. She had full use of her left arm, left hand and eyes now. It seemed she was communicating with a thumbs up or down to questions Raph was asking her. Raph gave Don the full report.

"She said she's in some pain still, but it's gettin' better. She wanted to thank you. She kept pointing to the door and touching her heart." As Raph spoke, Lyde pointed to Don and touched her heart. Don leaned in and grasped her hand.

"You are most welcome." He said and held it gently. He released her hand and she motioned to her leg.

"What? Let's start at the bottom." Raph said. Lyde did a thumbs up. "Okay, we talkin' toes?" Thumbs down. "Foot?" Thumbs down. "Ankle?" Thumbs down. "Knee?" Thumbs up. "The knee? Okay." Raph began to rub her knee through her jeans. Don took in the scene. "She tells me where it's startin' and I try to help it along." Raph shrugged.

"Good work, Raph." He clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Nurse Raphael." Don joked. Raph scowled and was about to ream his brother out when Lyde's arm shot up with a thumbs up on it. Don chuckled.

"Even now you insult me?" Raph asked. But his face held no malice. She put a hand to her heart. Raph shook his head. "Nope. I ain't forgivin' you. Forget it." She started to touch her heart again to beg forgiveness, but then halted. She pointed to her leg again. "Around the knee?" Thumbs down. "Calf?" Thumbs up. He went back to massaging her calf.

"How's Ms. Grey and O'Rourke?" Leo asked.

"Ms. Grey is resting. She's exhausted." Leo nodded.

"How are you still standing?"

"I'm going to check on O'Rourke and then I'm out, too." Leo patted his brother's shoulder.

"Good. You've run the gauntlet for several days now. You definitely need some rest." Don nodded blearily and left. He found T'mana and Mikey waiting for him. Mrs. Callahan had gone for some rest.

"Don?" Mikey stood, anxiously.

"Hey, Mikey. How is she?"

"Dina? She's okay I think."

"Who's Dina?" Mikey smiled.

"She is." He pointed to O'Rourke. Don raised an eye ridge.

"First name basis, huh?" Mikey nodded. "Well, let me just check a few things." He went about checking her vitals and checking the incision wound. Everything looked good.

"How's Lyde?" T'mana asked.

"She's doing much better." Leo said from the doorway with a grin. "Thanks to Don she's getting her body back. She can move her left arm and most of her right leg now."

"That's great!" She enthused. Leo stopped next to Don.

"How is she?" He asked.

"She's good. She'll be out the rest of the night. I'll give her some pain meds."

"Then you're going to bed." Leo stated.

"Yes. I will be going to bed." Leo nodded his approval. Don turned to T'mana.

"Ms. Grey is sleeping now, too."

"Yeah, she looked pretty worn." T'mana surmised. Leo took a seat next to T'mana. She was now seated on the couch. Mikey was talking with Don. "I know she comes across pretty hard and unfeeling, but she's not. I think she feels stronger than most people. She just doesn't like to show it." Leo nodded that he understood.

"She's just like Raph. They both think it's weakness to feel anything except anger." He sighed and leaned back on the couch. "How about you? How are you holding up?"

"Me? I'm fine." T'mana brushed him off. Leo smirked.

"Fine. Right. You've been conscious for two days and this is the madhouse you wake up to. I don't think 'fine' is the word you're looking for."

"I am, though. I mean…it hurts. I'm not going to lie. But it'll get better. And hey! I can eat without feeling nauseous. That's an improvement."

"You were feeling nauseous?" He asked, furrowing his brow. "Why didn't you say?" She shrugged and winced.

"I figured it would go away." He put both his hands on his face and wiped in aggravation.

"You need to tell us these things." He admonished with frustration. "It could have been the medication you were on or something else. And don't shrug, you were _stabbed_."

"Well, you got bossy." T'mana pouted. He sighed.

"I just don't want you to think we forgot about you because of all this. And _you_ can't forget, either. You're still recuperating. Please don't push yourself or ignore things that could be important. It just isn't worth the risk, okay?" She sobered at that, properly chastised.

"Okay." She agreed.

"You mean it?"

"I do." He let out a breath and relaxed again into the couch. "You seem relieved." She noted.

"I am. I'm just enjoying the moment. We all made it, T'mana." In a poorly attempted juvenile move, Leo stretched and let his arms rest on the back of the couch. T'mana noticed. It was something a fourteen year old boy would try, but she found it terribly charming. She decided to reward him and leaned back, allowing his arm to fall across her good shoulder. He looked over to her cautiously and she smiled, so he returned it and began to rub her shoulder in a comforting way. They sat that way for a while and finally T'mana started to nod off. She leaned into Leo and he froze, not letting his arm follow her. They had done this before, but he did not have the assistance of several alcoholic beverages this time. He looked terrified. But after a moment, with her head lying gently on his plastron, he let his arm fold around her as he leaned back and let his eyes close, too.

* * *

Lyde took a deep breath and Raph froze, wondering if he had hurt her while trying to massage her other arm back.

"You okay?" He asked. She coughed and gasped again. Then she steadied her breath. She gave a shaky thumbs up. "I'm not exactly buyin' that." He said with a furrowed brow. "So I'll ask again. Are. You. Okay?" A firmer thumbs up. "All right then. Should I keep this up with the arm?" Thumbs up. "Yes, ma'am."

Despite what he was, Raph was not a self conscious creature. He made no excuses for what he was and made no apologies, either. If people didn't like him, it was their problem. He always spoke his mind and let his face and voice express whatever he was feeling. But right now, he didn't know what he was feeling. For the first time anger was not the dominant emotion. He _was_ angry. That was certain. He was going to kill Stockman and he was going to enjoy it. But not right now. Normally, Raph would have been struggling against Leo's arms to get back at Stockman, but he had stayed with Lyde. In fact, the thought to leave her didn't even occur to him until just now. Now that she was awake and seemed to be okay, he realized that he was still here. He _still_ hadn't left. Not only that, but he was willingly putting himself in a socially awkward position.

He was _touching_ her. Of course, there was nothing romantic or lustful about it, but it stirred something in him all the same. He moved his hands, kneading her arms, legs, and feet. He had done this for his brothers on occasion when they pulled a ligament or something. But Lyde was a complete stranger to him and here he was touching her, willing her limbs back to life. He had seen her vomit up her insides, call him a jerk, act foolishly trying to take on missions that were over her head. But despite all of that, he was charmed by her. Her spitfire personality lit something in his heart that he hadn't realized was there. And he wanted to crush it down and extinguish it immediately. She was distracting him, but it wasn't her fault. So he would do what he said he would. He would get her feeling her limbs again and then bug out to take care of the real problem. As soon as she could feel, he would be out of there like a bullet from a gun. He would go do what he was born to do. What he needed to do: fight.

She took another deep breath and a small moan escaped. Her eyes widened and so did Raph's. She tried again and made a low groan. She coughed again and Raph had an idea. "Okay…I think maybe sittin' up would help ya breathe. So I'm gonna scoot you up. Okay?" A moment's hesitation and then a thumbs up. He gripped her under her arms and tugged upwards until she was in a sitting position. He leaned her on his plastron while he propped up the pillows behind her. He felt her hands grab at his shoulders. Her torso was shaking. It hadn't regained feeling so it couldn't support her frame. He leaned her back against the pillows.

"How's that feel?" He saw her throat muscles move and thought she was trying to speak. She gave up and did a thumbs up. She took a breath and it went smoothly in and out again. Another thumbs up. "Yeah. I know what's what." He patted himself on the back literally, or shell in his case, and thought he saw her eyes smile. "Back to the shoulder?" He pointed. Thumbs up. "Okay then." He moved off the bed and sat in the chair next to the bed so he could get to the shoulder easier, back and front. He saw her chest rise and fall much deeper than it had been and he wondered if she had been close to not being able to breathe. She moaned again and her lips popped open giving it more volume. She took her right hand and began to press it to her lips moving it around to try to bring them life.

"Ah, great. You'll be talkin' in no time. Then you can really cut me down to size." He smiled, but Lyde did a thumbs down. He chuckled. "See, you don't even need words!" She did a cutting motion against her neck and he took it to mean 'stop'. "I'm not sure I get you?" He said, confused. He stopped his work on her shoulder wondering if she meant that. She took another breath. She pointed at him and touched her heart. Her way of saying 'thank you'. He went back to her shoulder, not looking at her face.

"Nah." He said. "You don't mean that 'n I don't deserve it." She didn't move for a long moment and then he felt a flutter on his cheek. She was trying to turn him towards her. "All right. You got my attention. What?" She repeated her 'thank you' and before he could ignore it she took his hand in hers and with her other hand motioned to him and again to her heart. She let go of his hand and then touched his lips, then her ear, then her heart. He stared blankly at her a moment and she breathed deeply and sounded a bit frustrated. Tears pricked her eyes.

"Hey, hey. No cryin'. I think I get it…uh…you want to uh…thank me for holdin' your hand. Right?" Thumbs up. "And um…also 'cause I talked to you?" Thumbs up. He shrugged. "Any of my brothers woulda done that." She did a thumbs down and again pointed to him, indicating that they hadn't, but he had. "Yeah, yeah." He waited a moment. "No problem." He went back to her shoulder and also the base of her neck and tried to stimulate the nerves there. "Anythin' there?" Thumbs up. "Good. Maybe you'll be able to nod and shake your head in a bit."

"Hmmm." Lyde said. She and Raph froze.

"Try humming. Maybe that'll work like the massaging." Lyde looked down. "You gotta be kiddin' me. Are you embarrassed to hum? Do you want your voice back or not?" Thumbs up. "Well then." Raph left no room for argument so she haltingly started to hum, but it was like a monotone mantra sound like when meditating people say 'OOOOOMMMMMM'. It was very much like that. But he noted that it did get stronger. "Okay, now try goin' higher." She took a breath and tried. It started off the same and meandered up a little. Then she dipped it down. She went back and forth and began to hum what sounded like a melody. She put her hand back to her lips and tried to bring them back. After a moment, she twitched her lips and opened and closed them.

"You ready to try words?" Raph asked. "Try sayin' 'dog'."

"Du-" She blurted. Her eyes went wide and she smiled lopsidedly.

"Attagirl! Try again."

"Duh-aaww-guh." She said. "D—aw-g." She breathed a few times. "Dog." She still was enunciating very heavily, but it was a victory.

"Holy shit! You're talkin'! Try somethin' else." He was really working her neck muscles. He could actually feel them loosening as his fingers moved. This leap of progress pleased him and he took a discrete pride that he was helping her along.

"Lie…dee." She said her name. On instinct, she craned her neck to look at Raph and he was startled to find her looking at him. Then he smiled.

"Well I guess your neck's workin'." He stopped and let his hands fall to his lap.

"Ruh-aa-ff." He grinned as she said his name. "R-aph."

"I'm right here. Watcha keep callin' me for?" She smiled at his bad joke. "Thirsty?" She tried nodding her head.

"Yessss." She said. Then she licked her lips.

"Be right back."

"No!" She cried out, panic in her voice. He stopped dead in his tracks.

"What is it?" He asked, looking back at her and doing a quick survey to see what could be wrong.

"No." She repeated. He frowned.

"'No' what?" He asked. She said nothing and looked away. "Uhhh. You rather I stay for a minute?"

"Yesss." He took his seat by the bed.

"Okay. But you'll need to drink. I mean…you puked everythin' up, remember? You're gonna need food and water to get better pretty soon." She nodded and leaned back a little in the bed. She didn't look at him though. He didn't quite know what to do now. "You know that you're okay now, right? I mean Don's gonna make sure of that. You know?" Again, she didn't look at him but nodded. He sighed. "Okay, you gotta tell me what you're thinkin'. 'Cause I'm at a loss."

"Buh-ad." She said softly. "Hhhhurt." She took a breath. "All oh-ver." She closed her eyes. "Wa-wanted to duh-ie."

"Fuck." He whispered, horrified. "He is one dead fuckin' man." He took a breath. "But it's better now, right? I mean you don't still wanna…"

"No." She agreed. "Just…"

"Just what?" She shook her head. "Tell ya what, how about I order some water to go?" He took out his shell cell and called Mikey. "Yo, Mikey. Can you bring up some water for me? Lyde's feelin' thirsty." Raph grinned. "Hell yeah." He said. "Thanks, bro." He turned back to Lyde. "There. Win/win. You get water, I stay. It's all good." She nodded, but still didn't seem convinced.

Mikey arrived a few minutes later and beamed as he walked through the door.

"Hey! Water for the thirsty lady." He held the glass out to her and she looked at it. She appeared to be working herself up to grab the glass.

"You can do it." Raph encouraged. "I'll catch it if it slips." She flexed her fingers and slowly lifted her hand. She wrapped her fingers around the glass, but Mikey didn't let go. He didn't feel that she had the weight of it yet. She gripped tighter and nodded. Mikey slowly released it and the glass dipped, but she compensated and slowly, with a shaking hand, brought it to her own lips. Raph and Mikey watched in amazement as she downed the entire contents of the glass in a single attempt. When she was done, she was gasping for breath.

"Easy! Breathin's still important, pint size."

"O." Lyde said.

"Yeah, 'Oh' is fuckin' right. Don't go suffocatin' yourself." Raph lectured. She shook her head.

"O." She paused. "Ruh-orke."

"Oh!" Mikey said. "You're asking about your friend?" Lyde nodded. "She's okay. She's downstairs. Ms. Grey operated on her." Lyde nodded.

"Hhhheard thhhat." She said. Raph raised an eye ridge.

"Uh-Oh. That mean you heard everythin' we were sayin' up here?"

"Yesss."

"Well, shit." Raph said. "That fuckin' sucks."

"Why?" She asked. "It hhhhelped dih-stract me."

"Awww, did Raph spill his heart out?" Mikey teased.

"Mikey, get the fuck downstairs or I'll throw you there."

"Jeez. Chill out Raph, we all made it. It's okay to be happy."

"Mikey, I mean it. I will toss you shell first." Mikey raised his hands in defeat.

"I'm going!" He looked at Lyde. "Did you need another glass or anything since I'm going back down?"

"Thhhank you. No." Mikey winked and was out the door. Raph stood and grabbed the glass from her. He placed it on a table across the room. Clearly an excuse to move away.

"I…uh…guess you heard me rantin'. Huh?"

"Yesss." She agreed.

"Fuck. Sorry 'bout that. I got a mouth on me."

"Yesss." She agreed again. He turned and saw she was smiling.

"And Stockman….he's got a mile long fuckin' list of shit that has pissed me off."

"La le li lo li le la." She said.

"What?"

"Tah tay tee toe too." She said.

"Uh-huh. How about 'obla di obla da na na na na life goes on.'?" She quirked a brow at him. "Right, so I'm the weird one?" He grumbled. She smiled in response.

"Buh-eatles fan?" She asked. He shrugged.

"No, but I needed gibberish and they're good for that." Her mouth dropped open.

"They ruh-ock." She said.

"Forty years ago, maybe."

"No. Still."

"Yeah…I'm not gonna take any music advice from anyone who wears Buddy Holly glasses. It's 2014. Contact lenses. That's all I'm sayin'."

"Glasses are coool." She contradicted.

"Yeah. I think your definition's wrong." She moved her mouth as if she were stretching it. She curled her tongue and then rolled it. Then she blew a raspberry. "Okay…I hope you're just tryin' to talk normal again because otherwise this would just be fuckin' weird." In response, she stuck her tongue out at him. They made idle conversation for a while, talking about nothing important. But she gained her voice back. Raph yawned. She fell silent.

"S'late." He said, looking at the clock. He had been up for over twenty seven hours. He didn't get much sleep before the mission, trying to be ready for any possible outcome.

"Good night, then." She said.

"Need anythin' before you go to sleep?" She shook her head. "Here, I'll help you lie back down." She held her arms out to keep him back and shook her head.

"No. I'm fine." She said. He smirked.

"You gonna sleep sittin' up?"

"I'm fine." She repeated and attempted a smile. He stared at her a minute, his smirk fading a little.

"You don't wanna go to sleep, do you?"

"It is late." She agreed. "I'm just not ready yet. But I will. Go rest."

"You gotta go to sleep sometime."

"I know. I will." He shrugged. Then he grabbed two spare blankets from the end of the bed. He rolled one and spread the other out on the floor on the other side of the room. He set the bundled blanket at the top. He left the room, found a bathroom. Once he was refreshed and taken care of, he came back into the room without a word, shut the lights off and proceeded to lie down on the floor where the blankets were.

"Ms. Grey has lots of rooms here." She said in the dark.

"Hmmm."

"You don't have to sleep on the floor. She has other rooms that have beds."

"Hmmm."

"I happen to know that there's one-"

"Less talkin' more sleepin'." Raph said irritably. She fell silent and leaned back into the pillow grateful that she didn't have to face the night alone.

"Raph…"

"I don't fuckin' care about any other fuckin' rooms that may or may not have beds, Lyde."

"Could you put one light on for now? Just for now?" She felt like a child asking, but she could feel the panic welling up. She heard him fumble around and find a lamp that he switched on.

"What?" He asked, thinking she had a request to make of him.

"I…I just need the light on. For now…"

"What, like just leave it on? Why?"

"I just…need to have it on. You don't have to stay if it bothers-"

"Jeez, give it a rest will ya? I'm not goin' to another room. That's just common fuckin' sense. I'll be here if anythin' happens. But the light…why?"

"My eyes were closed." She said.

"Your eyes were closed." He repeated as if it were in an alien tongue.

"I couldn't see anything. It was…like I was…" She sighed. She didn't really want to talk about it.

"Like what?" He persisted. She shrugged. "Like _what_?" He said again.

"Like I was drowning in the pain." She finally answered. "I tried to listen. The words were like a life vest keeping me afloat. Reminding me that there was something outside of the hurt. But now it'll be quiet. I won't have anything if it…comes back." Once again, he cursed Stockman and began imagining how he would kill him the next time they met.

"The light stays on, then. You won't drown. If you start, just throw somethin' at me and you'll hear a whole stream of words to keep you in tow." He smirked. "Mostly startin' with the letter 'f'." She smiled, relieved that he hadn't laughed at her or made her feel foolish.

"Thanks, but if you-"

"If you fuckin' say one more time that there are other rooms, you won't need to throw anythin' for me to lay a stream of profanity on you. End of fuckin' story. G'night." He flopped onto his side with finality and covered himself with the blanket, leaving the lamp on.

"Good night." She returned happily, causing a faint smile to appear on his lips before he shut his eyes for the night.


	16. Chapter 16

Lyde was afraid to sleep, so she kept her eyes open and remained sitting up. She had never been so terrified in her entire life. Even when she had been swinging from Raph's hand from the roof with bullets being rained down on them. Even more terrified than when she was a child…

The pain had been immense. It had felt like every fiber of her body was aflame and spiked with needles that roiled and scrapped her skin. It was all she could manage to listen to the words being spoken around her. It had seemed like it was a dream…a cruel dream that was just out of reach, taunting her, mocking her for being apart from the world where the sounds were living. But even in her pain and weakened mindset, she had been grateful that Raph had kept a steady line of words for her to follow, like breadcrumbs in the woods.

Slowly, the pain had been extinguished, leaving her in a state of debilitating weakness. Despite this weakness, her every muscle remained taut and clenched as if afraid to release the tension. As if loosening her muscles relaxed her grip on life and she didn't want to slip away. Then she had felt a soft warmth firmly caressing her hand and her fingers. The warmth was soothing and seemed to leech away the tension and residual pain. She found the strength to move her eyes and saw that Raphael was massaging her hand and watching her carefully for reaction. If her tear ducts hadn't been frozen still, she would have wept with gratitude and guilt. Guilt for thinking such terrible things about this turtleman who had saved her life and her sanity.

Delicately, he worked on her limbs and she found a way to communicate where he should assist. Under ordinary circumstances, she would have blushed with embarrassment. Any touch to her was usually considered intimate since she let so few people actually physically contact her. But this was not a usual situation and she was still fueled by fear and wanted desperately to gain control of her body back as if that would stave off falling prey to whatever had taken her in the first place. It seemed vital that she shake off every effect of this vile virus that had wreaked havoc on her body and mind. So she encouraged Raph, who didn't seem at all bothered by such proximity. This made her feel better. If he had shown any awkwardness, she would have requested that maybe Don help her. But he just acted as if he knew what he was doing and that this was not at all affecting him emotionally, physically, sexually, or socially. As a result, Lyde felt comfortable with his touch as well as his presence.

And now, sitting with the light on, she marveled that she had survived and that she owed the majority of it to Raphael. Don and Ms. Grey had, of course, played an integral part in her recovery, but she had to acknowledge that she felt very differently towards Raphael now. She reflected, with a clearer mind uninfused with panic, that his hands had felt _nice_. They were calloused and rough at a touch, but they had been gentle and soft in application. Warm and…Lyde blinked realizing that in retrospect, she found herself a little aroused at the memory. Washed free of terror and ambition, the tender act of massaging her life back into her body was causing her to flush with a pleasant heat. Lyde was attracted to Raphael and not just physically. She realized his change in personality, whatever the reason, certainly helped fuel her new opinion of him.

She bit her lip. He had only been helping her because everyone else had their hands full. He probably had some sense of responsibility to her, having gone on the mission with her. Couple that with their first meeting and his rude behavior, she knew that he, of course, would never even consider her in such a way. And why was she considering him? What a foolish thought! She had only known this strange creature and his brothers for two days. And there had been a lot of action and drama involved, so that distracted her from actually being able to think about him in any real sense of truth. It would fade because once the drama wafted away and they all settled into normalcy, there would be nothing there between them. At the end of the day, she was a human and he was not.

* * *

Sandra woke up fully dressed, but covered with a blanket. She sat up, tried to recall how she had gotten there and blushed. She remembered. She had cried and sobbed like a pathetic teenager on Don's shoulder. Her humiliation washed over her so forcefully she felt she would be sick. She _never_ cried. After everything she had been through, she had never cried once she had learned to control it. So…not since junior high school when she was fourteen. Not even after her parents were killed in a boating accident. Not even after her ex-husband…but she wouldn't think about that. The point was, she had survived and done so well up till now. She knew the main reason she had been upset was because she felt responsible. Everything else had happened _to_ her. Not _because_ of her. Which is what made this situation so much more difficult to bear. However, it was no excuse. No excuse for unleashing and unloading her problems onto someone else. No excuse for being weak and needy.

Then Sandra flared with anger. This was _his_ fault. Who can stand there getting chewed out and then offer a comforting shoulder with no ulterior motive? No one. That's who. He wanted to see her weak. To knock her down a peg. In that moment of realization, she hated him. No doubt he had told everyone that he comforted the great Sandra Grey. Boasting to all who would listen that she had fallen apart and he had to pick up the pieces. Well, she was going to tear into him.

She went to the bathroom, showered and then began to get ready. As she washed her face and did her makeup, her anger grew to a fever pitch. She wanted to scream at how foolish she was. She got dressed and went down the stairs quickly with purpose. She opened the door to T'mana's room and saw T'mana on the couch with Leo. T'mana opened her eyes, saw Sandra and put a finger to her lips. Sandra raised an eyebrow and then T'mana nodded over to the table.

It was then that the entire fevered lecture and scalding verbal slap died in her throat. Don was slumped on the table breathing slowly. He had a syringe in his hand and a pain killer tubule in the other. It seemed he had fallen asleep as he tried to fill the syringe. She looked back at T'mana who shrugged a little and then winced. She made a gesture with embarrassment and indicated that she needed to use the little girl's room. Sandra went to her side and began to help her up to take her to the bathroom. In this suite, it was a split bathroom so the toilet and shower were separated from the sink and cabinets by a door. She set T'mana near the toilet and went to the sink to give her privacy.

"Okay." T'mana whispered and Sandra went back in to get her. T'mana was still very weak, but she was able to hold most of her weight now for short periods of time in a slow shuffle walk.

"How are you?" T'mana kept her voice low, not wanting to disturb the others. Mikey, Don, Leo, O'Rourke and Mrs. Callahan were all still asleep in the other room. "Don said you were sleeping when he came down yesterday." Sandra pursed her lips.

"I'm sure he did." She said sourly as T'mana washed her hands.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, I'm sure he told you all about my nuclear meltdown." She handed T'mana the towel a little roughly.

"N-no. What happened? Are you okay?" Sandra looked at T'mana as if she didn't believe her.

"He didn't tell you that I sobbed like a newborn?" Sandra was disgusted with herself at the memory.

"No. He just said you were sleeping. Then he checked on O'Rourke." She paused. "What happened?" She asked again.

"Well I guess I fucked myself over on this one." She put a hand to her head. "Never mind, I'm fine now. I'll get started on breakfast. Everyone will be starving. I'm going to the main kitchens so I won't wake anyone. Come on. I'll get you back to the couch. Is that where you slept? Probably not the best idea because of your shoulder wound." She was talking too fast and T'mana knew that Sandra was not okay, but that she did not want to discuss it at all at the moment.

"Need some help?" T'mana offered. Sandra smiled.

"No, dear. I can get it. It'll clear my head." She walked T'mana over to the couch and helped her resume her place next to Leo. Leo stirred and upon feeling her presence again, unconsciously wrapped his arm around T'mana. It was sweet. Sandra took a quick look around, checked on O'Rourke quietly and went to the kitchens to begin.

When she knew she would be having company, she had called all her staff and gave them a paid leave of absence. She would call them back when she could. But for now, food duty was up to her. She didn't love to cook, but she could do it. Her mother used to make extravagant meals and taught Sandra many of her secrets. But Sandra didn't really have time in her life to cook and she didn't really find it pleasing, so she had hired staff to do it for her. As a result, she discovered she had no idea where anything was.

It took her ten minutes to find a pan to scramble eggs in and a griddle to make pancakes and bacon. She was in full swing when she heard a voice call her name. She looked up and saw Don standing there, feeling awkward if his stance was any indication. She looked back down at the eggs and stirred them.

"Good morning." She greeted calmly, but without much warmth. "Did you smell your way here?" He smiled, uncertainly.

"It does smell very good." He allowed. "I…uh…think O'Rourke should wake up soon."

"Oh?" Sandra stiffened, but tried to give an air of nonchalance. "That's good."

"I thought maybe we could talk to her together when she woke up." This startled Sandra. She had told him her prognosis last night in her tear filled confession. Why would he want to be part of a discussion that involved her explaining to O'Rourke how she botched the surgery? He noticed her confusion. "I don't think the surgery went as bad as you feel it did. We won't really know until she wakes and starts moving it around, but I saw your progress and it was absolutely by the book. Flawless. I can't imagine that all of a sudden you started to perform shoddy work." He shrugged. "In fact, I don't think you even know how to fail. I think this situation is the first time things have not gone according to your plan."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She snapped. His eyes widened in surprise.

"It was meant as a compliment." He said softly, and then sighed. "Most people can't go one day without making a mistake and you've made it your entire life until two days ago. It's impressive that's all. Look, I can see you want me out of here, so I'll just leave you to it."

"Damn it!" She shouted, frustrated. "Why are you so fucking polite all the time?! No one is this fucking nice." She pointed her egg crusted spatula at him. "It's a game, isn't it? It's got to be. There is no way that you're for real." She shook her head angrily and removed the eggs from the flame. He looked incredulous.

"I'm sorry…" He said haltingly, as if he could not believe his ears. "Are you angry with me because I'm being nice?"

"YES!" She bellowed. "Now your brother, him I buy. Raph. I trust every fucking word that comes out of his mouth because he-"

"Is a jerk!" Don sputtered, finishing her sentence. "So you only trust rude people? What about T'mana? She doesn't fit that profile…or Lyde…or O'Rourke-"

"_They_ are different!" She argued, frustrated.

"How? What difference-"

"Please…you know your biology. Put it together." He blinked at her.

"Because…I'm…male?" He asked, offended and surprised that she had such a hostile and closed attitude.

"Bingo. Men." She spat. She picked up the pan with the eggs and slammed it down closer to the plates she had piled. "Manipulative liars, all of you. You have one goal in mind and you'll do anythi-"

"Wait just a minute!" Don interrupted forcefully. He had heard enough. Now it was Sandra's turn to be surprised. "I am NOT manipulative and I don't lie. I have been nothing but honest with you and I don't deserve to be lumped in with whatever jerks you've had to deal with in your past. I'm not them." He was glaring at her. She stared at him a moment and then began scooping eggs onto the plates.

"That's better." She said smugly. He sighed in defeat.

"Was that your goal? To get a rise out of me? To drag me down?" He seemed hurt rather than angry.

"I said what I said because I meant it. You reacted the way you did because that's who you really are. All this pretense, it wears down eventually. The mask falls off." She finished scooping eggs and moved on to the pancake flipping. She felt comforted that the cooking island separated her from Don and also gave her something else to focus on.

"No. You're wrong." He said. "I'm sorry if that's the type of man you've been subjected to. But I'm not like that. And neither are my brothers. That doesn't mean we don't get angry. We do. We just don't give in to it easily. But don't mistake my kindness for weakness or a willingness to be berated. If I give respect, I expect it back. You don't have to like me, but I won't stand for blatant contempt." He spoke calmly with a hard tone, showing that he meant every word he spoke. He stood watching her.

"Aren't you going to storm out or something?" She asked after a moment, wondering why he hadn't done so already. He rolled his eyes.

"I was giving you the chance to apologize. But I can see that you don't mean to, so I will leave the room. No storming necessary." He turned and calmly walked out. She finished filling the plates with pancakes and bacon. She propped the door open and then loaded her arms with all the plates. She had waitressed in her youth. She knocked on T'mana's door with her foot and was greeted by an alert Mrs. Callahan. Sandra smiled and so did Mrs. Callahan.

"Good morning, Ms. Grey!" She beamed. "What have you brought for us? Oh, how wonderful!" She held the door open and allowed Sandra to come in. "Let me get-"

"No!" Sandra shouted. "I've got them, Mrs. Callahan." She covered kindly. "They might fall if they're disturbed, though." She walked over to the table, the only place she could set the plates down, and tried to ignore the fact that Don was sitting there. She set the two down that she held in her hands. Then she crossed and grabbed the other two on her forearms.

"I'll be back with butter, syrup and silverware. Mikey, you might want to check upstairs. See if they want anything."

"Oh, sure thing!"

She noted with worry that O'Rourke was still not awake. It caused a slight halt in her step, but she kept going to get what she said she would. She also brought two more plates assuming Raph and Lyde would want something. She delivered it in the same fashion at the table. Leo was helping T'mana to the table. They were all gathering around.

"Thank you." Don said quietly. Everyone else joined in with a chorus of gratitude when they realized their lack of appreciation.

"No problem." She mumbled. Mikey came back.

"I'm going to bring up their food. Lyde seems to be a bit nervous about being left alone."

"I've got it." Sandra said. It was an excuse to get out of this room and she could see Lyde.

"Thanks!" He said as he took a seat. Sandra grabbed two plates and started to walk out.

"Is there any milk or…" T'mana asked sheepishly.

"Sure." Sandra said kindly. She started to set the plates down, but Don spoke up.

"Is it in the kitchen? I can just go grab it and get some glasses."

"Um…yes. It is. Thanks."

"You're welcome." He said pointedly as he stood to go find it. She swept out of the room and climbed the stairs. She could feel Don's eyes on her back as she went up, but resisted the urge to turn around and check. She knocked with her foot again.

"Room service." She said with mock cheer. Raph opened the door and stepped aside when he saw her hands full. "Good morning."

"Mornin'." Raph said. He had been doing stretches. She wondered briefly where he had slept since he hadn't been downstairs, but then her question was answered when she saw a pile of rumpled blankets on the other side of the room.

"You know there were-"

"I swear to all that is holy if you say there are beds in other rooms, I _will_ kill somethin'." Raph growled. Sandra was stunned into silence and then jarred from her shock when she heard Lyde giggle. Sandra turned to Lyde and mouthed 'not a morning person?' Lyde was smiling so she figured Raph could not be all rough and rude.

"How are you feeling, Lyde?"

"Tired. My muscles feel like jelly. When I went to sleep, they were tough and tense. Now, I don't seem to have any strength." Sandra reached for the equipment that had been left by her bedside. She listened to her heartbeat, checked her blood pressure and her temperature.

"Well, your vitals check out just fine. I'm going to guess that the weakness is because your body went through a traumatic stress with no nourishment for a long period of time." Sandra grabbed one of the plates she had set down. "Why don't we start with some eggs?" Lyde tried to fork some eggs, but her hand was shaking so badly, they flopped off.

"Frick." Lyde murmured.

"That's okay." Sandra said. "Let me." She began to feed Lyde. While she was doing that, she turned to Raph. "That's your plate there." He grunted, but picked it up and began to eat. "I think once you're done eating, we'll try to wash you up a little. I think that would feel good, don't you?" Lyde nodded gratefully. "Then we can start with some small exercises to get your muscles back in form. After a few days of healthy eating and sleeping, I expect to see some improvement."

"Thank you." Lyde said as she chewed.

"Please don't thank me." Sandra said quietly. Lyde huffed.

"Is everyone allergic to gratitude around here?"

"Everyone?" Sandra asked, and then she looked at Raph. The male mutant version of herself.

"Ah. I see."

"Whatever. You can't avoid the fact that I appreciate all of this."

"But-"

"But nothing." Lyde cut off. "I know what you're going to say."

"No, I don't think-"

"Ms. Grey…I've worked with you for a long time and I like to think I know you pretty well. You're putting this all on your shoulders. You think because you got us involved that everything that has happened is a result of that. And that's complete crap."

"Crap? How do you figure that? If I hadn't-"

"Do you know how messed up this guy is? Do you understand what he's capable of? What he's probably been getting away with because he's been under the radar? Someone had to get involved. Someone has to stop this psycho. Why not me? Why not us? Are we better than anyone else? The way I see it, we all survived this as a group. It all worked out to where someone else here filled in the gaps of someone else's flaws. Others might not have been so lucky." Sandra had opened her mouth to argue, but it closed slowly now.

"Damn, kid." Raph muttered. "You got nerves of steel."

"Not at the moment." Lyde quipped. Raph barked out a quick laugh and shoveled more eggs into his mouth. Sandra said nothing but kept feeding Lyde. After finishing the eggs, Sandra inquired if she was feeling nauseous.

"No. I don't, but I feel really full. I think that'll be it for now." Sandra nodded and then used the same fork to eat the pancakes off the same plate. There was a knock on the door. Raph got up and opened it. Don was carrying several glasses of orange juice.

"Anyone thirsty?" He asked. Raph relieved him of one and Don walked the other two over to Sandra. He held them out to her and she had to think quick and put her plate on the ground to take them from him. She set one on the small night stand that Don couldn't reach since she was sitting in front of it and held one in her hand. She couldn't look at him. He was killing her with kindness and she knew why. He wanted her to feel guilty. And it was working. But she would get over it soon. She focused on the beverage instead, downed a huge gulp of hers and then picked up the second glass.

"Lyde, I think orange juice will help boost your energy." Sandra said. "Why don't you take a few sips?" She moved the glass to her lips and Lyde drank.

"You look great, Lyde." Don said. "Your color has improved remarkably overnight." He pulled out a pen light. "Can I test your eyes real quick?" She nodded and he moved forward. He was now very close to Sandra, but she wasn't in the way. Just very close. Sandra busied herself with finishing her orange juice. He bent and watched to make sure the pupil dilation and reaction was as it should be as he flashed the light. "Excellent." He straightened. "Any nausea, pain, numbness, itchiness or phantom touching?"

"Phantom touching?" Lyde asked.

"Like you feel something is touching you, but there's nothing there. Sometimes that's an effect after nerve stress or nerve damage."

"No. None of those things. The pain is gone, I just feel exhausted. Not sleepy, but like I weigh more than a whale." Don smirked.

"That's to be expected." He comforted. "You just need some rest and good food. I see Ms. Grey has already supplied breakfast, so you're halfway there for the morning." Lyde nodded. "You sure you don't feel any pain?"

"Yeah. It's weird. It was so…strong." She ended weakly. "But it's gone now."

"Strong?" Don asked.

"Really strong." Lyde blushed and rushed to add. "But it's gone now." He studied her a moment.

"Okay. Well, if anything starts to hurt, let me know." Lyde nodded.

"How is O'Rourke?" She asked. Don knew that Sandra was panicked at the question, so he took pleasure in answering.

"She's awake and giving Mikey a hard time. She's experiencing some discomfort, but she's strong and seems to be handling it all very well. She's already made Mikey spew milk out of his nose twice." He smiled. "She was cracking jokes about Mikey's bad aim." Don shook his head.

"Bad aim?" Lyde asked, confused.

"Apparently, for whatever reason, Mikey had to direct O'Rourke's gun arm and I guess the aim was wide. She said something about not being able to hit the broad side of a barn."

"That's Mikey." Raph agreed with a chuckle. "So she's doin' good? How's her leg?" Don turned to face Raph.

"I think it'll heal nicely." He said pointedly. He noticed Sandra still couldn't look at him and was keeping strangely silent on the matter and staring at her empty glass. "Her knee is very swollen from the surgery, but I was able to bend it a little which means the joint is intact. She'll need to work to get back on her feet, but she will."

"Oh, my god." Sandra gritted, clearly irritated, catching everyone in the room by surprise with her obvious hostility. "Are you gloating?" She demanded.

"You performed the surgery, how can I gloat about it?" Don shot back, exasperated.

"No, I mean gloating about being right." Don shut his mouth at that, chagrined. "You are, aren't you?" He huffed at the accusation.

"Maybe a little." He reluctantly admitted. She sat for a moment, then picked up her plate from the ground and resumed eating quickly.

"I suppose you earned it." She said and immediately took a large bite of pancake. Don had a feeling this was the closest thing he would get to an apology today. He knew she was very proud and didn't like to be wrong or be caught being wrong. He sighed and turned back to Lyde.

"So is there anything I can get for you?" He asked her. She shook her head.

"Thank you, no."

"All right." He grabbed Raph's empty plate and then Lyde's. Sandra was taking her last bite and so he held out his hand for her plate as well.

"I've got it." She said and tried to grab the plates he had in his hand.

"In my family, if you cook you don't clean." He extricated the plate from her hand and expertly placed the now empty glasses on top of the stack of dirty plates. "Mikey gets to clean." He and Raph shared a grin as Don left the room.

* * *

Sandra had Lyde in a warm bath. Lyde had been beyond embarrassed and put up a huge fight. She insisted just a towel down would be sufficient, but Sandra refused to back down. Raph had carried her into the Jacuzzi room and left as quickly as he could, wanting to avoid any awkwardness. Sandra helped Lyde out of her clothes and was very professional about it. Then she got her into the Jacuzzi and began to run the water. Once it was full, Sandra had done most of the washing she could.

"Lean back, let me get your hair." Sandra said. Lyde did as requested and her hair was washed thoroughly. "Now, the fun part." Sandra grinned and turned on the jets.

"Oh!" Lyde was surprised at the force. Then she giggled and laid her head back and felt the hot water massage her wearied muscles.

"See. I told you this is what you needed." Sandra said. Lyde blushed.

"Thank you, Ms. Grey."

"Would you like some time alone? I can leave my cell here and you can call the house line to let me know if you need anything."

"Umm…I don't know."

"Still nervous about being alone?" Sandra asked.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize, dear!" Sandra was surprised. "After what you've been through, I hardly blame you for wanting a friendly face around."

"Thanks. I guess…I'm just not ready for that at the moment. But I'll need to be tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm sure the guys want to get back home. We've kinda interrupted their lives, you know? Raph is probably dying for his bed after sleeping on the hard floor all night with the lamp on. I'm sure they'll go home for bed tonight." Sandra wondered about this. It was true, the imminent danger was over.

"Raph didn't seem angry with you." Sandra noted.

"No? Oh, good. I know I probably got on his nerves, but he's been real nice about it. I'm sure he's just counting the minutes until he can leave."

"Somehow I don't think so."

"Well-"

"Dear, Raphael is an ass. Plain and simple. You remember. If you were annoying, he would have no problem telling you that to your face. If he thought you were behaving ridiculous, he would have no problem laughing at you. And if he wanted to, he would have found another room since you seemed to have mentioned that to him before." Sandra smiled wryly.

"Yeah, I guess…" Lyde acquiesced. "But, speaking of angry…did something happen between you and Don?"

"Why do you ask that?" Sandra's friendly demeanor vanished behind the wall that just flew up.

"I…just noticed that you…uh…seemed a little short with him." She paused to see how her words affected Sandra. "What did he do?" Sandra knew that Lyde was siding with her out of loyalty, but didn't really think Don was the type of person to purposely instigate trouble. Sandra sighed and poured some perfume into the water.

"He was nice." Sandra said. "You know how I hate that."

"I see. May I ask something?"

"Sure."

"I mean…like off the record?" Sandra smiled in response to the question.

"Yes and I promise not to hold it against you if I don't like the question. Proceed."

"I know that things…happened to you." Lyde began and Sandra stiffened. "That it had something to do with your husband…"

"Ex." Sandra corrected coldly. "And I don't hear a question."

"Do you think Don is the same as him? Do you really believe that?"

"What I believe doesn't matter. I can believe anything I want but believing something doesn't make it true. The truth is I have known these strange creatures less than two days and I have no idea what they're really capable of. Yes, I've seen them do good things. Does that mean they can't or won't do bad things? I don't honestly know. Believing that a man was good, rather than knowing, is what got me into trouble before. After everything, I can at least be grateful he taught me that. It's a lesson I won't ever forget again." Lyde was silent in the wake of this speech. For a while, only the jets of the water could be heard.

"Are you mad that I asked you?" Lyde finally ventured.

"I said I wouldn't hold it against you. I meant it." Sandra smiled. "Are you pruny yet? It's not a real bath until you get prune fingers." Lyde lifted her hands above the water line and held them out for inspection. "Yes, bath is successful. Are you ready to dry off?" Lyde nodded that she was. They drained and dried and Sandra helped Lyde into some of her clothes. Sweat pants and a sweatshirt. They were soft and comfortable.

Lyde's skin was pink from the heated water and bright with a healthy glow. She looked refreshed. Her hair was soft and shiny instead of soaked with sweat and her skin was soft with the lotion Sandra helped put on her arms and legs.

"Shall I ring for the bellboy?" Sandra joked. Lyde blushed and let Sandra call Raph to come carry her back to the bed. He walked in seconds later and seemed to do a double take. "Does she clean up nice?" Sandra joked. Raph grimaced at her, but Sandra knew Raph was pleasantly surprised by Lyde's new healthy look with her tresses down instead of up.

"Hope you don't mind," He said, not seeming to care at all. "We found some sheets and changed the bedding." Sandra was flabbergasted that they had thought to do that.

"No…good idea." Raph crouched down next to Lyde.

"How you feelin' now?" He asked. He noticed that she smelled like roses and lavender.

"Much better."

"Ready for your ride?" He asked.

"Yep." She held out her arms and he picked her up like she weighed nothing. "Ohh! Dizzy." She mumbled. Raph frowned.

"Well, let's get ya back to bed and see if you're still dizzy. Don can check that for ya."

"K." She said hazily. He managed to carry her and get the doors. He laid her onto the bed and there was a moment when her face was very close to his and her arm was still around his neck. It felt electric and he could see she felt it, too. She blushed and dropped her eyes and that was his cue to let her go and back away, which he did slowly. He didn't want to give the impression that he was embarrassed, because he wasn't. But all the same, he knew it was time for him to pull back. She was out of danger and he was no longer needed. At that moment, Don stepped in.

"Hey," He greeted with a smile. His eyes fell on Lyde. "Yes, you look much, much better. Do you feel better?"

"She got dizzy a second ago." Raph informed.

"Oh," Lyde blushed. "It's gone now. I feel fine." Don nodded.

"What were you doing when you got dizzy?"

"Um…being picked up." Don smiled.

"I wouldn't worry. It was probably just the sudden movement. You're still very weak and that includes your balance and sense of sight. Now, if you get dizzy and you're not moving, you need to let me or Ms. Grey know. Okay?"

"Yes, sir." Lyde smiled softly and gave him a wobbly salute.

"Can I check your vitals one more time?" Lyde nodded her approval and Don went to work. Ms. Grey walked in as he was taking Lyde's blood pressure. Don either ignored her, or didn't realize she was there. She left without a word and trekked downstairs. She had to confront the O'Rourke situation sooner or later. She owed O'Rourke and felt honor bound to handle this sooner and not make O'Rourke wait for the news. She was never one to run away or avoid her mistakes. While her mistakes were few and far between, she managed to make them of epic proportions. But she would not run now.


	17. Chapter 17

Sandra stood before T'mana's door and took a deep breath before she pushed it open and stepped in. She found O'Rourke sitting up on the stretcher bed and Mikey sitting next to her with a plate of his own. O'Rourke seemed to have finished her meal if the empty plate on the table next to her was any indication. O'Rourke immediately turned to her and smiled.

"Hello, sir." She greeted professionally, but the typical hardness to her voice was gone. It was weak, but appreciative. Also very alert. She had napped shortly again and was feeling very aware of everything. Sandra had seen this before in O'Rourke. It seemed that O'Rourke had the uncanny ability to segment herself off from the pain, keeping her mind clear. Her military reference had called O'Rourke 'a machine with no off button'. True to form, O'Rourke was besieged with pain, but showing no evidence of it. Sometimes it frightened Sandra, but mostly it made her jealous. She wondered…did O'Rourke not feel or was she just that good at hiding it?

"Hello, O'Rourke." Sandra said softly as she approached. "How do you feel?"

"Hurts. Not gonna lie. But I've had worse in the line of duty."

"Worse?" Mikey sputtered. "Like what?" O'Rourke shrugged and tapped her head.

"Shrapnel." She said. She felt her head and then parted her hair to reveal a scar on her skull where the hair didn't grow.

"Dude…" Mikey whispered, slightly horrified and awed at the same time. "What happened?" O'Rourke shrugged again and Mikey shoved her uninjured shoulder playfully. "Use your words! No shrugging!"

"Afghanistan." She said. "My med evac unit was getting civilians out of a newly declared bomb drop zone when a landmine went off. It blew up the rover we were using and all the civvies inside. Part of the metal door blasted apart and lodged here." She pointed to the scar again. "Didn't knock me out. Kept moving until I got the rest out of the drop zone, but that hurt like nothing I ever felt before. If I didn't have a mission, I think I might have died just from the pain." She looked back and forth between Mikey's and Sandra's horrified faces. "That's war." She stated, surprised at their reaction. "You do what you have to in order to complete the mission."

"You mean to survive." Mikey corrected coolly.

"No. I don't." O'Rourke stated firmly. "You survive to complete your mission. End of story. There is no other objective while your mission is in progress."

"Now I get it." Mikey murmured, very disturbed. He was remembering her cold, calculated, unhesitating move to shoot herself when Stockman threatened to use her to get to them.

"Get what?" Sandra asked.

"He's a soldier." O'Rourke said. "He understands what I mean."

"No." Mikey shook his head. "I'm a _warrior_. My heart makes my decisions, not some higher ranking power. But I get it now. Why you did it." He stared at her a moment. "Don't you ever do it again." Mikey was not smiling and there was no trace of good humor on his face. Sandra seemed to feel he was channeling Raph right now. O'Rourke snorted.

"Well…you're not my superior officer, are you?" She replied back with calm fury. "I will do what I think I need to do and nothing less."

"Then I _think_," Mikey stressed the word 'think' derisively. "you need to _think_ of other options before you go where you went." O'Rourke's face went tight with fury and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Other options? There _were_ no other options! Stockman and the crazy eighty-eight had me surrounded with my knee blown out and a shoulder wound! You dropped from the sky! How the hell was I supposed to know you were even there! There was nothing else to be done!" She breathed heavily for a brief moment and calmed her voice to a low quiet growl. "I would make the same decision again and again."

"What decision?" Sandra cut in darkly. O'Rourke lost her anger immediately and became professional and hard again.

"A decision any soldier would make, sir."

"What decision?" Sandra repeated. O'Rourke answered without hesitation or remorse. She was not embarrassed or ashamed.

"To shoot myself, sir. The enemy had me surrounded and they were going to inject me with something to force me to give everyone up. There was no escape."

"O'Rourke!" Sandra gasped.

"My mission is to protect you and yours, sir. Even to the death." Sandra sank into the empty chair next to O'Rourke and looked at her friend's bandaged nose with new eyes.

"You're fucking fired." Sandra whispered harshly. "Don't you dare fucking die for me." O'Rourke did not even flinch at this, but held Sandra's gaze and smiled serenely.

"Fire me, don't fire me: I will always be in your service, sir. I will always protect you, sir."

"O'Rourke-"

"My Da was a bad man." O'Rourke cut her off, her voice quaked once. "My Ma was worse. I learned to control my emotions or get my ass beat good and bloody. I learned not to care for anyone or anything because they would always take it from me. But they're gone now, sir. They can't take shit from me anymore and I don't take shit from anyone, either. Life is hard, sir. But I still want it. Even after everything. But if you think for one moment I would selfishly cling to my meager existence to sell out the one person who cared about me, you're mistaken. And you," She turned to Mikey, her face still hard. "You had my back despite…everything that happened. The same goes for you and your brothers. I would do it again." Then she abruptly leaned back and closed her eyes tightly as if in pain. Her jaw was clenched tightly as well.

"D?" Mikey asked anxiously. Sandra looked down to the wrapped knee and she moved it slightly, lifting the position of the joint.

"Ohhhh." O'Rourke moaned in relief. "Thank you."

"Careful for now. The knee needs to be up. If you lower it, the blood pressure will build up and cause you pain."

"Won't forget that in a hurry." She breathed.

"Did you get a dose of pain meds this morning?" Sandra asked.

"Um…" O'Rourke frowned in thought, so Mikey jumped in.

"Don gave her some when she first woke up. Made sure she wasn't nauseous or allergic to anything first. Should be kicking in soon." Sandra nodded her agreement.

"Did you eat?" Sandra asked. O'Rourke nodded to the empty plate. "Good girl." Sandra grinned. "Still feeling good? No nausea or headaches?"

"No, sir. I'm doing just great now. I'll be sure to keep my knee up like you said." Sandra looked back at the knee and began to inspect it. She was grateful for the distraction from O'Rourke's confession. There was a lot of swelling but that was to be expected. The wound looked freshly dressed.

"Don changed the dressing?"

"Yes, sir. Said it looked good. Does it, sir? Does it look good? I honestly don't expect to be able to use it again. I mean, I really put that busted knee through its paces. Sure I did more harm to it than the bullet did."

"No, it looks very good, O'Rourke. I can bend the knee even though it's swollen, so the joint is still intact." Just like Don said. "I don't see any seepage through the bandage which indicates no infection. I think we're looking at some heavy duty physical therapy, but you'll walk again. Maybe even run." O'Rourke grinned. "Make that your new fucking mission. Okay? No need to die for it. Damn loyal brat." Sandra tousled O'Rourke's hair fondly.

"Yes, sir." O'Rourke snapped off a salute and it was genuine, full of respect and honor. Sandra stood, unsure what to do now. She turned and saw Don standing there watching her calmly with a small, but knowing on his face. Sandra rolled her eyes.

"How long have you been standing there?" She asked him directly.

"Long enough." He teased quietly. He looked to his brother. "Mikey, I still see some dishes, bro."

"Awww…just give me-"

"Mikey, dishes." Don commanded. Mikey rolled his eyes, but picked up his plate and O'Rourke's.

"Be right back, beautiful." Mikey winked at O'Rourke and gave his brother a glare for good measure before he left. Sandra raised an eyebrow.

"Beautiful…" Sandra purred. O'Rourke blushed.

"Stop. He's just being funny." O'Rourke said.

"Funny?" Don asked. "How is that funny?" He was confused.

"Because it's ironic." O'Rourke said, wondering how they could be so obtuse.

"Well, I think you're _moronic_." Sandra said. "You are beautiful and that isn't ironic. I'm not surprised Mikey agrees with me."

"Yeah, I'm sleeping beauty over here." O'Rourke rolled her eyes.

"No, she's upstairs." Don joked. "You're more like Cinderella. Only instead of a glass slipper, you get a metal knee." O'Rourke snorted at that.

"So who turns into a pumpkin?" O'Rourke quipped.

"Well…Mikey does have an orange mask…" Sandra mused with an evil grin. O'Rourke chuckled again.

"Thanks, sir. Between you and Mikey, I've been laughing all morning. But what I really want to know is: what's the plan?"

"Your plan is to rest until you can start physical therapy." Sandra said. "We're going to keep this on the down low. If Stockman survived, and cockroaches always do, he'll be looking at all the hospitals for you and Lyde. You'll stay here until you're on your feet again. I'll help you. I was looking at physical therapy websites and we can definitely do it here. I might hire someone to come in. Someone who really knows what they're doing and I'll pay them well so they won't even think to ask questions." She turned to Don. "So, you and your brothers will have to make yourself scarce once that gets started."

Don nodded in agreement.

"No, sir." O'Rourke was adamant. "I can do-"

"I don't want to hear it, O'Rourke. Believe me. I know this speech well. I was the original author of this speech. The 'I can do it on my own' speech. And I know you've done it before. In fact, I'm certain you're just like me and have been doing it on your own your entire life. But the point is, you don't have o do it alone now and I won't let you. We're all in this together now. We're a unit. That's something you understand, right? Our mission is to not let Stockman fuck any of us over. We help each other now. Because no one else understands the shit were in right now better than us. That's an order, soldier." O'Rourke stared at Sandra for a full moment before snapping another salute.

"Yes, sir. I understand, sir."

"Good. And while we're on the topic of orders. I order you not to fucking kill yourself. Ever."

"Sir, if something-"

"No. That is a fucking order, soldier. Do not ever fucking kill yourself." Silence. "I can't hear you!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" O'Rourke shouted. But it wasn't angry, it was a standard drill sergeant response.

"That's fucking better." Sandra appraised O'Rourke. "There's always another way."

"Sir, that's not true. You don't-"

"Enough." Sandra said. "The conversation is closed on this topic." O'Rourke sighed.

"Yes, sir." Mikey came in.

"What'd I miss?" He asked when he saw the dark looks.

"I think I missed it, too, Mikey." Don said, bewildered. He started to pull Mikey aside to ask him in private, but O'Rourke spoke up.

"Don, I'll fill you in." She said. "Ms. Grey is angry because I almost shot myself at Stockman's lab." She pointed to the bridge of her nose. "Mikey deflected the gun at the last moment. I was surrounded and under threat of being forced to reveal information about all of you. There was no other option. I wish Ms. Grey would understand that sometimes death is the only solution to certain problems. But she's bull headed and ordered me not to sacrifice myself. _Ordered_…" She mumbled darkly.

"So he'd have info on us!" Mikey brushed it off. "Big deal. We can handle Stockman. We've been fighting him for years. It wasn't worth shooting yourself over." He was angry, but trying to keep things light.

"No." She disagreed.

"Stop." Sandra said.

"No," O'Rourke cut in again, addressing Mikey. "You may know Stockman, but _they_ don't. Lyde and T'mana and Ms. Grey. He would find the weak links and exploit them."

"O'Rourke, I'm not exactly helpless-" Sandra gritted.

"Enough!" O'Rourke exploded. "You have not seen war! You don't understand that there are no rules. With psychotic power hungry men like Stockman, there are no rules! The only way to keep safe is to keep away. The way the situation was, I was the only link to any of you. Remove me and he lost the battle. Do you see? It would have been a victory! I'm glad Mikey was there. Don't get me wrong._ I don't want to die_. But I am willing to if the need arises. I don't go throwing my life away willy-nilly. It has to be the only option and in this case, it was."

"But you _didn't_ consider other options!" Mikey argued. "What about us?" He gestured to himself and his brother. O'Rourke grew grim.

"I already told you about that." She responded.

"You really didn't think we'd come?" Mikey's voice was hollow and hurt.

"No." Was her blunt reply. "I explained this already. I shot your brother. And I kicked you and punched you in the face to get my gun back. Why would you go looking to rescue an enemy? I figured you would think it an unnecessary risk to come get me. I mean, it was probably convenient. One more problem out of the way." She shrugged.

"I forgave you." Don said sharply. "In the sewer before you left. We ate with you. I think we made our peace with you before Stockman came into play."

"Words and a slice of pizza? Do you really think I considered that when weighing the danger of the mission?"

"If we didn't trust you," Mikey offered with a forced calm. "Would we have let you get the device? No! We would have done it ourselves. But we trusted you and let you do this for us. So you better believe we come after our own when they're in danger. Do you think we're monsters?"

"No!" O'Rourke was beyond frustrated. "Don't you get it? I'm the monster! You had it right: Robot O'Rourke. That's me. Now with metal knee action." She sighed, frustrated and dropped back into the pillow looking away. She was suddenly very tired. Mikey looked at Sandra and Don and they took his meaning. They both walked out into the hallway to let Mikey talk O'Rourke down. He seemed to have developed a sort of bond with her and she seemed more willing to listen to him than anyone else. Sandra saw Leo walking T'mana down the stairs.

"Uh…" Sandra said. "About face." She spun her finger indicating they should turn around. "This room is being used for discrete conversation at the moment.

"Everything okay?" T'mana asked in her sweet voice.

"Yes, dear. Just fine. How did you find Lyde?"

"She's good. We talked about movies."

"Movies?" Sandra asked, perplexed.

"Yeah, we all wanted to not talk about this." She gestured to all of them, the house, everything.

"I see. How do _you_ feel, dear? Getting stronger? You don't seem to need as much support as you did yesterday."

"Yeah, I'm getting better." Her hand was still tightly on Leo's arm and he seemed ready to grab her at any moment if she lost her balance. "_Ina_ wasn't feeling well. So she's sleeping in the back." T'mana pointed to the room that Sandra and Don just exited.

"Ina?" Sandra asked.

"Her mother." Leo explained.

"Oh, Mrs. Callahan is unwell?" Sandra asked, suddenly concerned. T'mana hesitated a moment, seemed to think and answered.

"My mother has stomach cancer." There was a full moment of deafening silence and everyone was clearly shocked by this announcement. Sandra felt knocked over by a ton of bricks. "I don't think I can hide that now. Not with us all living in tight quarters for the moment." She sighed.

"T! You…you never said anything!" T'mana shrugged.

"She's being treated for it. I see her when I can. You always give me time off when I ask. I never had to explain why. I didn't want to…see your face like this." She admitted. "It makes it harder." Sandra blinked and tried to change her face.

"I'm…sorry, dear. You don't have to hide something like this! I'm just shocked. What…what was her prognosis?"

"She's being treated. She has another chemo session in a week. The doctors are…hopeful. But for now, she gets nauseous and weak every now and again. Not often, though." Sandra stepped up the stairs until she was face to face with T'mana.

"So stoic." Sandra chided gently.

"I learned from the best." T'mana smiled.

"Not from me!" Sandra laughed. "I'm manic with my mood swings. Ready to cry and kill in the same breath."

"I know better." T'mana said softly. "But we'll go back up. O'Rourke's okay?"

"Yeah," Sandra said lightly, watching as Leo helped turn T'mana on the step. "Just needed a talking to is all."

"From who? You're here…"

"Ah, from a fellow fighter…which is not me. Mikey is doing the honors." Sandra hopped up a few steps and opened Lyde's door slowly. "Hope you don't mind some visitors!" Sandra said with a grin. "I have a whole parade of people." She stepped in and was followed by T'mana, Leo and then Don. They all took seats. T'mana and Leo took the small couch. Raph was sitting next to Lyde already. There was one chair left, so Don settled on the floor making it clear he wanted Sandra to sit in the chair. So she did. Raph stood and went over to Leo, then Leo motioned for Don to join them.

"Excuse us, please." Don said as his brother's filed out and then followed them. Lyde sighed.

"There it is." She said.

"What?" T'mana asked.

"They're trying to organize a way to extricate themselves from this tangled web of females."

"No!" T'mana waved her hand with a kind smile. "They're probably planning a Stockman attack. Which isn't advisable right now." She sighed. "Now that we're out of immediate danger, Raph probably wants to launch himself into a fight. He's probably got withdrawal."

"Yeah," Lyde moaned. "He does. I can tell he's been waiting to get out of here all morning." She turned to Sandra. "So, how long do you think until I'll be back on my feet?"

"Hmmm…just a few days. You just need your energy back. Nothing damaged on you. Not like O'Rourke."

"Good. Can I…um…I mean…can I get it again? Get sick, I mean?"

"No." Sandra said firmly. "You're immune to it now, dear. The vaccine we gave you will last the rest of your life. For that particular virus, anyway." Lyde nodded her head.

"So…even if I accidentally touch the device, nothing will happen? You're sure?"

"Lyde, sweetie," Sandra crooned. "I swear to you. It can't hurt you again. It's all over now." Lyde breathed out.

"Okay." She said. A weight seemed to be lifted off her shoulders.

"Have you been worried about that, Lyde?" T'mana asked kindly.

"It's been on my mind." Lyde allowed. "How's your shoulder?"

"It's good. I mean it does hurt. But, it's healing well. Don did a really nice job with stitching it up and everything. It healed quite a bit while I was out of it. Just sore really and very tired."

"So…what happened?" Sandra asked. "I mean the whole story. It's been a bit of a mad house, but I want to know exactly what happened when you walked into Stockman's lab."

* * *

"What is it, Raph?" Leo asked. They had found a room and Raph locked the door behind them.

"So, how are we goin' after him?" Raph asked.

"I knew it." Don said, shaking his head. "You can't just-"

"I know, Don!" Raph whisper shouted. "I'm not talkin' about goin' in hot. It's too late for that. He's had time to re-organize and shit. I know. So what are we gonna do? Because we _are_ doin' somethin'."

"Well, I was looking at Stockman's drives. The ones that O'Rourke brought. I came across some things regarding the thermanator device so I know how it works. We can use it…but…"

"But?" Raph prompted roughly.

"It still has the contagion on it. The virus."

"Shit." Raph bit his lip. "Gloves?" Don shook his head.

"Too risky. You've seen what it can do. The vaccine is only good for Lyde because it molded to her DNA. I'd have to do something else for someone else and we may not have what we need. The device is out. In fact, we should just burn the bag it's in and get rid of it."

"Damn it!" Raph slammed his fist onto the couch in front of him. "Now what? We can't let him get away with this. He's gone too fuckin' far!"

"I don't know." Don said and looked to Leo. He sighed.

"I don't know, either, Raph."

"I don't believe this!"

"Hey," Leo warned. "You're the one so hot to go in, why does everyone else have to make the plans? You got a brain, too. Think! In my mind, we're sitting pretty now. All of our people are out and Stockman's shot. I doubt very much he's dead, but he's out of the game for a while."

"So that's it? You're just gonna sit back while he gets better and attacks again?"

"No, but I'm going to think long and hard on our plan against him. It has to be good and as close to unbeatable as possible. We don't have a lot of no-risk chances left. Now we have people that can get hurt because of us. The stakes are higher and Stockman knows that." Raph said nothing to that and it surprised Leo. Raph did, however, glare and glower so fiercely he thought flames would flare up from his brother's skull.

"Pansies." Raph muttered and left the room in a huff. They followed him back to Lyde's room. All the women seemed in rapt attention looking at T'mana. But when Raph burst in, their eyes snapped over to him. Sandra was about to tear into him when she saw he seemed to be in a fury already.

"What's your problem?" She demanded.

"They don't have a plan." Lyde answered, she seemed slightly horrified and disappointed.

"Don't worry about it." He said gruffly, trying to be peaceful despite his rage. "Only plan you need to worry about is eatin' and gettin' your strength back." Sandra was mollified by this response and decided not to lecture him for his rude entry. T'mana had been close to being finished. She had gotten to the morning she woke up from being stabbed.

"That would be phase one." Lyde agreed lightly.

"Phase one?" Raph was amused.

"Yep." She agreed. She waited a moment. "Phase two would be me using the device to render the fulminated mercury inert." She held her breath waiting for the explosion. She was not disappointed.

"What?" Raph fumed. "No fuckin' way! Absolutely not!"

"Raph," Lyde began.

"No." Raph said firmly and he stared her down. She held his gaze for a moment but had to back down. Her fear of him was different than before. She knew he wouldn't physically hurt her, but she was afraid of something else. Of disappointing him.

"Just listen-"

"You almost fuckin' died!" He shouted. "Yesterday!"

"Ms. Grey has assured me that I can't get sick again if I touch the device." Raph swung his gaze to her and found that she seemed appalled by Lyde's words.

"That is _not_ why I told you that." Sandra whispered, horrified. "I thought you were afraid you-"

"But it's true." Lyde cut in. "Right? You said that I can't contract it again. That the vaccine will last for my entire life."

"Lyde-"

"So, then I am the only one who can safely touch the device."

"No. There's another way." Raph was shaking his head.

"What way?" Lyde asked earnestly.

"I'll find one!" He shouted, irritated that he didn't have one yet and that she had pointed it out.

"Before Stockman detonates? Raph, this will work and it will work now. Don can confirm, I'm sure."

"Fuck, Lyde you can't-"

"Look, if I wanted to do this alone, I could have." She cut in angrily. "I could have just grabbed the device and found my way back there without telling anyone. But I don't have a death wish. I want to come back from this. I'd like you to cover me. Will you do that?" She could see she hit him where it hurt. His loyalty. "Remember what Don said? Stockman didn't know where you guys were. So there is some _other_ reason the mercury is there at that location. Which means he's planning to hurt more people. I know you're willing to gamble with your lives, but are you willing to gamble with theirs as well?" Leo stepped up.

"Don?" He asked; the single word carrying all his questions. Don sighed.

"Well, you know what I told you in there. It will work. And she _can_ carry it." He agreed reluctantly. Lyde looked triumphant.

"Donnie!" Raph was shocked and appeared betrayed. Leo stepped in front of Raph.

"I'm not going to dismiss this as a viable plan, Raph. It's all we have right now. I don't like it, but she's right. That's a lot of explosives down there and it can cause a lot of damage. A lot of lost lives. So Don is going to go through everything about the device that he can using Stockman's files. If he sees anything, and I mean anything, that calls it into doubt, then the plan is gone. But if it's all good, and Lyde is up to the task, then we have to do it." He stepped up so he could speak right into Raph's ear and only he could hear. "You have until Lyde's well to find another plan. So _think_." He stepped away and turned to Sandra.

"Ms. Grey, I think my brothers and I need to regroup back at the lair. Make sure everything is okay on the home front."

"Of course." Sandra agreed in her professional manner. Don stepped up to Leo.

"We shouldn't leave them without protection." Don whispered. "One of us should stay behind in case." Leo nodded.

"You volunteering?" He asked with a smile. Don didn't return it.

"Uh…that probably wouldn't be wise. Maybe you or Mikey. Probably Mikey. I think Raph needs a strong arm right now." Leo looked over his shoulder at Raph.

"Yeah, that's for sure." He agreed with a sigh. "What do you mean unwise?" Leo raised an eye ridge to his brother.

"Later." Don said. Leo nodded and turned back to Sandra.

"Ms. Grey, we'll leave Mikey with you to help keep watch."

"Keep watch? Does he have medical training?"

"Well…no." Leo said. Sandra looked from him to Don and she suddenly understood that Don had suggested leaving someone behind and that he recommended it _not_ be him.

"I see." She said. "In what capacity will Mikey be 'watching'?"

"He'll keep an eye out for Stockman or his men." Don offered. "He'll let us know if anything comes up and we'll come right away." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "All the heavy medical work is out of the way now, so I know you'll be able to handle caring for the ladies as they convalesce. But if you do need help with them, please let me know. You have my number stored in your cell from when I called you before."

"Of course." She replied without emotion. She held out her hand. After a moment's hesitation, Don took it and she shook it firmly once and nodded her head, noting that his hand fit hers rather well despite his lack of digits. Then she moved to Leo and Raph and did the same with each. "It goes in turn." She said. "If there is anything I can do, please do likewise and call me." All three nodded. "Right. T'mana, I'll uh…give you a moment and then I'll bring you down."

"I can bring her, Ms. Grey." Leo offered.

"Certainly. Then I will see you later, dear." She left the room and allowed goodbyes to be passed around. She had already said hers.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: The scene picks up back in the room with Mikey and O'Rourke after Sandra and Don just left…Mikey's lecture :) Also…heads up…this is a long chapter…I couldn't figure where to divide it without cutting out plot. So it's a bit of a wordy mess :)**

"You're not a monster, D." Mikey said. "Why would you say that? Do you really believe it?"

"Damn. You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"No. See, I haven't known you very long, but I already got the vibe that you don't like yourself very much and you're very willing to die. Not a good combo, dudette. Not good at all."

"Vibe? I just said right now that-"

"Yeah and before outside the lab you said you were used to people not liking you. And at the lair you thought it would be better if you stayed away, like _you_ were the problem." He tapped his head. "Not as dumb as I act." He leaned back in his chair and seemed to look her over. "See…kids aren't born hating themselves. They gotta learn that from others. Trust me, I know. Growing up a mutant wasn't exactly a walk down Easy Street. But even I have more self esteem than you do, so that tells me a lot."

"Okay. I'm not a monster." She said. She just wanted this conversation to end as soon as possible. Mikey smiled.

"Nice try, but I don't believe you. But I can wait. I am paaatiieeent." She looked horror stricken.

"You're not going to sit here until you believe it, are you?" He shrugged dramatically.

"Dunno. Why, got a problem with having a mutant stare at you until you're happy?"

"Uh…yeah, pretty much." O'Rourke said.

"That's cool. I'm down with that." She rolled her eyes. "So…no staring, then. Got it."

"Why do you even care? I don't get it. You barely know me. Why should my tactical strategies and self esteem mean anything to you?" There was no animosity in her voice, but there was curiosity and maybe a little annoyance.

"Spoken like a true loner." He mused. "See, you get by cutting yourself off from others, I'm guessing. I get by leaning on them."

"Isn't that dangerous for you?"

"Sure. But sometimes gaining another friend to hang out with is worth the risk. Sometimes not." He shrugged. "I have to be lonely. Don't have much choice. But you choose it. That I don't get. See, it's like this." He leaned forward on his knees and used his hands to gesture. "Like, you're drowning, right? And someone comes up and holds their hand out. Do you look away and sink because hey, they _might_ hurt you? Or do you take their hand and maybe survive and get a friend out of the deal?"

_ "_What? Are you saying I should have tried to be friends with Stockman when he had me surrounded? You would all be dead and so would I at this point! That's idiocy."

"No!" He smacked his forehead theatrically. "I mean _us_. Stockman proved he wanted you dead, there was no question. But us…you didn't know. You just assumed. So you chose to sink. And I think you've made that decision hundreds of times and you always choose to sink. And I don't just mean life or death stuff. I mean, like, a guy asking you for a cup of coffee or maybe someone wanting to go catch a movie. I think something else always came up. I mean, I can't believe no one would ask you…you know?"

"Know what? I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Are you telling me no one in the history of your entire life asked you to go out to do something?"

"No…some did."

"Okay! That's what I'm saying! But, you said 'no'. Didn't you? There was always a reason not to go. And then it became a habit not to go. Then you preferred not to go. Then it was _survival_ not to go. Am I right? And before you know it…you suck at social etiquette."

"You're schooling me on etiquette? That's a laugh."

"Is it? 'Cause my face doesn't have a bullet trench in it. Now, you're army. I totally get that. But think for one moment, if you had judged us differently: when you were captured, would you have behaved differently? Wouldn't you've held out longer hoping that we would get in there and get you?"

"Maybe."

"Okay. That's all I'm saying." He put his hands up as if to give himself up.

"But maybe-"

"Maybe…if you had thought we were coming, you would have hidden instead of trying to blast your way out. Maybe you wouldn't have gotten surrounded and in an impossible situation."

"Oh my god." O'Rourke said in understanding. "You're blaming yourself for this!"

"You almost died." Mikey defended. "Because you didn't think we would come. That's on us, too dudette. Some of it's on you, but some of it's us."

"No." O'Rourke disagreed with a softening in her voice. "No, it isn't, Mikey. It's my rating system. Worth it, not worth it. I weigh things out all the time. It's my army mind. Quick, unbiased and cold. A lot of times I had to make these decisions in seconds with lives on the line. I had to be able to do it and move on, so I could make another plan."

"To achieve your mission." He said grimly.

"Exactly. Like getting those people out of the drop zone. If I had hesitated, at least ten lives would have been lost. So I make flash decisions and I have to live with the outcome."

"Or not." He quipped drily.

"Or not." She agreed quietly.

"I'll make things simple for you." He pointed to her. "Worth it. Always." At that moment, Sandra walked in.

"Still lecturing my girl?" She asked.

"You know it." Mikey grinned.

"Good. I'll want some words later with you myself, dear." Sandra looked sternly at O'Rourke and then turned back to Mikey. "Your brothers said they're going back to regroup. I'm sure they'll be down shortly. They did say that you might be willing to stay to keep watch. Would that be all right?"

"Sure! No prob. Could you take me around the perimeter and show me your security already in place and stuff? So I can rock out my patrols."

"Certainly, I'll take you around once your brothers leave."

"Guess you're not rid of me yet, beautiful." He grinned at O'Rourke. "Hey, Ms. Grey, do you have cards?"

"Pardon?"

"Cards, you know, like playing cards? I got tons of games I can teach D over here."

"Uh…Mikey-" O'Rourke started.

"Now, now." He wagged a playful finger at her. "We talked about this. This is the proverbial cup of coffee, dudette. And this time, partly 'cause you got no choice, you're going to say 'yes'."

"I think I can find some." Sandra allowed. She was very amused at the moment. "And now that you're stable, we can get you moved to a different room so you can have some privacy. Okay?"

"Thank you." O'Rourke said quietly.

"Of course, dear. Is Mrs. Callahan back here?" She pointed to the bedroom in the back of the living area. O'Rourke nodded. "I'll just go check on her."

"She not feeling well?" Mikey asked.

"No, she's not." It was almost noon now. "O'Rourke I'll get you another pain med dose in a few minutes, okay, dear?"  
"Yes, sir." O'Rourke said. Sandra rolled her eyes even though O'Rourke couldn't see it. Mikey watched her enter the bed room.

"Is she like, your captain or squadron leader in your head or something?" Mikey asked.

"What?"

"Yes, sir!" He snapped a salute, looking all stern and stoic.

"Oh. Yes. I consider her my superior, if that's what you mean."

"So if she ordered you to do something, you'd do it?"

"Yes."

"Good. 'Cause she ordered you not to-"

"Yes, I recall. It was only twenty minutes ago."

"And you sound mad about it…"

"It ties my hands."

"Well, we'll just be real careful and use satin rope or something fuzzy."

"You are a laugh riot, Green Acres. But I'm dead serious. I don't think you understand-"

"No, I get it. I totally do. You think we haven't been faced with similar situations? Leo did just six days ago. Remember? Stockman had him? He blew up his phone, the auto destruct, so that we couldn't find him. Didn't want us trapped with him. And if he kept getting pushed in a corner, I know he would have died to protect us. We would all do that for each other. We're family."

"Then what is your problem? If you understand, why are you hassling me about it?"

"So that you understand it's a last resort, D. It's not always something to consider. Like, should I go to the movies tonight? Or should I commit suicidal martyrdom…" He moved his hands like they were a scale weighing items. "Get me? Take it out of the rotation." O'Rourke sat up and tried to make herself comfortable, but she struggled a little. Mikey leaned in to help her and she pushed him away.

"Just a second, I'm going to yell at you." She felt her hand go flat on his plastron as she pushed and she could feel his heart beat. She removed her hand quickly as if she had been burned. Surprised at the accidental intimacy.

"Yell at me? What for?" He asked, completely ignoring the incident and taking a calm seat next to her again. Though, truthfully speaking, Mikey's heart was beating twice as fast now in delight.

"You think it's an easy decision for me? That I just decide to die on a whim?" Mikey said nothing, knowing that she was gearing up for a speech and he let her build up her steam. "My life has sucked. Even you picked up on that after just two days. This life _owes_ me. You think I'm going to check out before I cash in on some happiness? Only if I have to." She folded her arms and looked him right in the eye.

"So…you haven't given up? On life or happiness and stuff?"

"No. What are you, the Green Evangelist? Don't judge me."

"Oh, that's funny because I'm green and preachy." He said wryly and gave a false theatrical laugh.

"Damn right, I'm funny." She said with a little snap in her neck.

"You know…" MIkey commented, looking at her sideways. "You're crazy aware right, now. You know that? You were shot in the face and the knee. Are you sure you're human?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're sure you're not some fembot spy or something?" Mikey was grinning.

"Pretty sure you saw the inside of my leg, did it look robotic?" She snapped. Mikey lost his smile.

"No." He said. "But I don't get how you're not drooling over yourself, going crazy from pain."

"Oh, I'm in pain, my green friend. Believe me."

"But…you don't seem like it."

"Good. That's kind of what I'm going for."

"So, you're holding it in or something?" Mikey asked, confused.

"Holding what in?" O'Rourke frowned.

"You know…" Mikey made a screwed up face in anguish. "That."

"That doesn't do anyone any good. I'm sorry for how I was in the car. That was embarrassing." She looked away.

"What?" Mikey laughed. "How is that embarrassing?"

"I think I cried a little. Pathetic."

"It's not." He disagreed firmly. "Feeling is not pathetic. So you don't ever laugh or get pissed off either?"

"No, I do. But those…" She fell silent, frowning.

"What? Don't tell me…you're too _strong_ for those." He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "_That_ is pathetic." He explained. "Crying or hurting doesn't make you weak, D. Unless you let it."

"Whatever. This is how I get by. This is how I survive. If people never see me weak-"

"I don't care about people." Mikey cut in, a little irate now. "You gotta let someone in. Or that's what's gonna kill you in the long run, you know? Who you got to be strong for? You think I'm gonna laugh? I'm not like that, D. I mean, I'm always up for a good laugh, but not at someone's expense. Unless it's Raph." He grinned.

"I'm strong for me and that's all you need to know." She said firmly. "Don't judge me." She repeated, quieter. Mikey didn't want to upset her, so he decided to let it go.

"Fair enough." Mikey said lightly. "So long as you return the favor."

"Done." O'Rourke agreed.

"And…as long as you play card games. You totally do not want to see me when I'm bored."

"I can see the logic to that." O'Rourke joked, pleased at the turn in the conversation. She liked Mikey's banter. It helped distract and focus her all at the same time. Something, she admitted to herself, she could not do alone. "It probably involves breaking things while trying to make elaborate games by hand or something, right?"

"Totally. Once, I made this skate board ramp/gauntlet thing. It would have been totally sweet if the CDs didn't break. I flew like ten feet into the air. That was pretty cool. Landing, not so much."

"CDs?"

"Yeah! See I had them stacked and taped together to make the ramp higher. In their cases of course."

"Right, without cases would be stupid."

"Totally." Mikey agreed.

"So…physics isn't really your thing, huh?" She shook her head. "How does that work out for you? I mean you fight with nun chucks. Basic physics is sort of necessity." He pulled out his chucks and spun them around.

"They just obey me." He said with a boyish grin. "Gravity usually does, too. Except when it doesn't." He spun them elaborately and did a few moves around his head liquidly. "Impressed yet?" He winked at her as he sheathed them smoothly. She blinked at him.

"Are you…are you _flirting_ with me?" O'Rourke was stunned at the possible realization.

"Shyeah! You're just now getting this? Dudette, I've been working it _two days_. You are a tough nut to crack." He grinned knowingly. "But I'll get ya outta your shell." She blushed. "Too much?" He mused mockingly. "Is it the green? Or my shell? Can't be my winning personality putting you off."

"Why not?" She choked. His smile widened.

"'Cause you're responding." He lifted his eye ridges provocatively. She flushed again and deeper if that was possible. This kind of blatant flirting was uncomfortable for her. "No problem." He said confidently. "Like I said: I'm paatieent." She was rescued by his brothers coming in with T'mana.

"Hey guys!" She greeted cheerfully. Mikey chuckled and winked at her again. She purposely was not looking at him and had her eyes glued to T'mana.

"Hey, Tim." Mikey greeted. "How you feelin'?"

"I'm still good, Mikey. Nothing earth shattering happened with my adventurous trek upstairs."

"No stair trolls, huh?"

"Nope. Not even a closet monkey."

"You guys are weird." O'Rourke stated, looking at both of them.

"Don't knock it till you've tried it." Mikey said. "Weird is the new cool."

"No, I'm pretty sure weird is still weird and you definitely are."

"Whatever…" Mikey allowed good naturedly. "Hey Tim, you like card games? I know lots of three player ones and four players if your Mom feel s better and Lyde, too."

"Thanks, Mikey." T'mana said. "I love cards."

"You do?" Leo asked.

"Sure. Numbers and strategy. What's not to love? Oh, but no go fish or war. I don't do those games."

"No war? But that's D's favorite!" Mikey whined jokingly.

"Ha. Ha." O'Rourke said. "Because I'm in the army. Very clever."

"Just paying it back, babe. For all the green remarks. I got plenty of puns."

"Okay, 'babe', is not allowed." O'Rourke shook her head with a grimace. "Under any circumstances."

"You got it, beautiful. You don't seem to have a problem with that one. I've said it tons of times now." He winked again.

"T'mana!" O'Rourke re-directed desperately. "What card games do you like? He seems intent on teaching me."

"Uh-" T'mana stuttered. She could feel the tension coming from O'Rourke and wanted to help her relieve it. Mikey, of course, was cool and calm on the outside, seemingly unaware of O'Rourke's discomfort. "Well, you know, like Gin Rummy or Hearts. Things like that. Pinochle."

"What about Spit?" Mikey asked.

"Um…sorry?" T'mana asked. Mike grinned.

"Oh, you'll love Spit. Fast strategy game." He tapped his head. "Noted. What about White Trash?"

"Now you're just making things up!" T'mana accused.

"Yeah, Mikey." Leo chuckled. "No one's reading your blog."

"Dude, I am telling you I saw people playing White Trash in the Park. Alls I'm sayin'! They totally loved my blog and my card game rocks."

"Lucky you, slugger." Raph growled. "You'll get to learn firsthand. From the _master_."

"For real." Mikey agreed. "I'll give you all kinds of tips and you can wow your friends at parties and detention."

"Did you actually write a commercial for your game, Mike?" Raph asked.

"Maybe. Doesn't hurt to have a marketing plan."

"Whatever, knucklehead. We're buggin' out. Don or me'll get you tomorrow morning. Cool?"

"Sure thing, bro." Raph and Mikey knuckle bumped as Leo helped T'mana onto the couch closest to O'Rourke.

"I gotta use the can before I go."

"Yeah, Raph. Me, too." Leo spoke up. They left together and Mikey made a wicked grin and followed them.

"I don't even want to know." O'Rourke said.

"Me either." Don agreed. "I think I'll wait." Sandra came out of the bedroom and saw T'mana.

"Your mother's doing fine, dear." She said. "Just getting some rest. I'm sure it'll pass. I just wish-

"Please don't, Ms. Grey." T'mana said. "This is what I was trying to avoid." Sandra sighed.

"Fair enough." She found O'Rourke. "Well, ready for some privacy?"

"Oh, yes, sir. I don't like sleeping in open spaces like this. Makes me nervous." Sandra nodded.

"Well, I can get you moved…hmmm." Sandra fell silent a moment. "Actually the other room on this floor is being remodeled. There's no floor space and dust and wall parts hanging around."

"Oh, that's okay, sir. I understand."

"I could help carry her up." Don offered. He walked up to the bed and inspected it. "Yeah. The wheels lock and so does the back part. If you take one end and I get the other, we can get her upstairs without a problem. We can set the wheels down to bear the weight. Easy." He said. "You want to get the door, Ms. Grey?" He pointed to the door and was already moving behind O'Rourke to push the bed. Sandra moved and got the door and Don pushed the bed out smoothly. He stopped in front of the stairs and locked the wheels. "Okay, I'll take the bottom. You can take the top. All you need to do is lift it enough to get to the next step. I'll bear the weight for the pushing. Okay?"

"You sure this is going to work?" Sandra asked nervously.

"Yes, Ms. Grey. I'm sure." She bit her lip, annoyed at his courtesy. He was doing it on purpose. She climbed the stairs and took the edge of the bed in her hand. She pulled up and towards her, getting it up another stair. They found a rhythm and got O'Rourke upstairs without incident. Don made no outward change, but his shoulder was throbbing something fierce as he had leveraged the weight of the bed against his arms. He touched it briefly and noted with pleasure the stitches had not torn or bled.

"There." Sandra said. "All settled. "T'mana can come visit and you know Mikey will."

"No doubt about that, I guess." O'Rourke mumbled. Sandra's small smile faltered for a moment.

"Do you want me to ask Mikey to give you some rest? I'm sure he'll-"

"No, sir. That's okay. Really. I think…that might make things worse. I'll just…handle it, sir. Thank you."

"All right. I'm sure he'll be up shortly."

"Yes, sir." Don and Sandra stepped out into the hall.

"Thank you." She said. "For helping with O'Rourke."

"Sure." Don said. She touched his arm to get his attention and he turned to her surprised by the contact. "What is it?" He was observing her scrutinizing gaze.

"I'm going to ask you a bitchy question."

"Uh…okay." He permitted, uncertain if he wanted to hear it.

"Are you being nice to put me in my place?" She didn't snap the question. She asked it calmly and without rancor. He took a calming breath.

"No, Ms. Grey." He answered wearily. He was tired and was in no mood for another unwarranted argument. "Look, I'm leaving now so…I won't be a problem for you anymore." He lifted his hands as a white flag. "I give up. I don't want to fight with you so I promise to keep my distance."

"You would do that?" She asked in wonder as if impressed he would stand down. Don raised an eye ridge.

"I don't stay where I'm not wanted, Ms. Grey. I don't inflict myself on others if they find it a punishment." He spoke with a hard edge and bitterness that was uncharacteristic.

"Ah, damn it." She whispered, frustrated with herself. "You're not a punishment, Don. Don't be so dramatic."

"Dramatic? Me? I…you…!" Don was sputtering he was so flustered.

"I know, I know." Sandra said. "Pot. Kettle. Black."

"Yes." He agreed firmly. Sandra sighed.

"I don't know any other way to be." She explained. "I'm not defending it. I know I'm a bitch. But it's got me this far." She shrugged. "It's not personal."

"How can I not take it personally?" Don asked. "I don't see you treating my brothers the same way. But I don't want to fight. I said I'll back off and I will. I'll stop being nice since you seem to have a special dislike for that." He shrugged as well and began to descend the stairs at a calm pace.

"Oh, so I'm the bad guy?" Sandra snapped. Don stopped and turned to her. She was one step above him and he joined her to be at even height.

"Yes, yes you are. I don't have any more cheeks to turn, Ms. Grey! So I am removing them from slapping distance. You survive by pushing away. Fine. I'll respect that. This is me letting you push me away." He stepped backwards down the stairs to illustrate his point and then turned and strode down them with purpose. Before she could utter another word he was opening the door to T'mana's room and stepped in.

When she walked into the room she saw Don hugging T'mana goodbye as he sat next to her on the couch. When he was done she saw Raph step up and grab her good shoulder.

"Take it easy." Raph said. "Don't do anythin' I wouldn't do. We'll be in touch tomorrow, kay?" T'mana nodded.

"Bye, Raph. Thanks for everything. I know Lyde appreciates everything and so do I." Raph shrugged and stepped back. Apparently Leo had already said his goodbye because they all turned to leave and found Sandra standing in the doorway. Leo approached her.

"Ms. Grey," Leo began his official goodbye to her. "Mikey will stay to patrol the area, but if you need anything call us. I'll send Raph or Don tomorrow to relieve Mikey. It'll just be for a few days until the heat dies down. But I'd like you to call Stockman like I mentioned yesterday."

"I'll call him." Sandra sounded hollow. The thought of dealing with that man made her ill.

"If you think anything unusual happens with the call, or anything that doesn't feel right, you call us immediately. We don't care how insignificant it might be." Don said firmly.

"Exactly." Leo confirmed. "There's no reason to take unnecessary risks. Let's err on the side of caution on this, okay?"

"Okay." Sandra agreed. Leo nodded and said goodbye then stepped out the door, followed by Raph. Don lingered for a moment. He sighed and spoke as if he were taking a plunge into freezing cold water.

"Ms. Grey, I know things are awkward between us, but I really need you to understand that it doesn't matter when it comes to your safety. I need to know that you'll call if you need help." She saw sincerity in his eyes and so she didn't roll hers as she wanted to do.

"I'm used to doing things myself-"

"Ms. Grey, please-"

"But," She interrupted, to continue her original thought. "This doesn't just involve me. This involves all of us. And I'm a professional. I'll let you know anything I find out of the ordinary, because you have a right to know. I will not be the one to withhold that kind of information. And…I won't risk these ladies' lives for my own ego. I'm arrogant, but not reckless." Don's lips curved into a small smile.

"No." He agreed. "You're very astute and intelligent. I just…well, we'll keep each other informed then. As professionals."

"Agreed." He nodded once that they understood each other and he left without another word. Sandra heard the door click behind her and saw T'mana looking at her, but trying to look ignorant of what had just passed between her boss and her friend. "Speak." Sandra said. "I can tell you're dying to." Sandra crossed the room and plopped down on the couch next to T'mana.

"Are you and Don fighting or something? Did he do something to you?" T'mana seemed shocked.

"Ugh!" Sandra groaned. "You and Lyde. You're both too nosy for your own good." Sandra chuckled to soften her tone.

"Lyde noticed, too?"

"Yes, dear. And she started with the same intro, 'did Don do something'." Sandra sighed. "I think you both know that Don isn't the attacking type. But your loyalty is comforting."

"Nobody messes with my Sandra." T'mana's eyes sparkled and Sandra laughed.

"When did we become friends?" Sandra mused. "It should be a holiday that we celebrate." She sighed again. "I usually keep my distance with everyone. Especially in the workplace. How did you weasel your way in?"

"I told you what happened to me." T'mana said quietly. "With the gunman. At first, I thought you were just sympathetic, but …"

"Yeah," Sandra agreed. "That was it. The moment. I realized that you had to deal with the same thing I did. And you didn't take advantage of my friendship like other people did. Didn't ask for more money or to help you hobnob with the other Richie Riches. That was refreshing."

"Hobnobbing is not my thing." T'mana chuckled. "And you gave me more money without my even asking."

"Yeah, but you earned it. I mean, I put you through the gauntlet every day. I'm so frantic and spastic. I'm hell to work for, let alone be friends with!"

"Actually, I loved it. Each day was like a puzzle I had to solve. It gave me something to focus on. If I didn't have that…" T'mana shivered. "I think things…would have gone badly for me. And you're not hell to work for. It's the best job I ever had. I hate that Stockman stole that from me."

"Well, he did and he didn't. You can work under an alias for me."

"No…it took me months to build up my relationships with all the people I work with. Greased the wheels. I'll lose all of that by changing my name. Not to mention, some people might recognize my voice and that could be dangerous if Stockman is sniffing around." She paused. "I hate that man."

"So do I." Sandra agreed darkly. "I hope O'Rourke capped him good and dead."

"I think we would have heard about it on the news or something. But there's been nothing. He's still around and he'll be a problem for all of us now." Several moments passed because neither knew what to say about that.

"Can I ask you a question and you don't get angry with me, T?"

"Sure."

"When did your mom get diagnosed?"

"Oh, Sandra. You just can't let it go, can you? You're neurotic that way." T'mana took a breath and relented. "A few months ago. It was the reason that prompted me to dump Guy. You know what he said, when I told him? 'That sucks, Tim.' And he didn't elaborate or say anything else. I could tell he was thinking more about his job and his co-workers than about me. So I told him 'Yeah, it does. I think we need to break up now.' And he just nodded and said 'if you think that's best.'"

"What an ass." Sandra seethed.

"It's what I needed to hear, though. In that moment, I realized I was not a whiny baby to want some help in this life and that Guy was making me feel like I was bothering him. I couldn't call him for anything. I mean, it's not like I was bothering him to go shoe shopping with me or to help me with my leaky sink. I was scared some gunman was going to shoot me in my sleep and that my mom…I mean these are dark things! And I realized that he didn't care. I had known for a little while. But that was when I decided to act on it and get rid of him."

"You knew for a little while?" Sandra asked. T'mana's words had an unsettling effect on her. What T'mana was insinuating was that she wanted someone to be there for her when she needed it no matter what. And that was what Don had tried to make Sandra feel certain of not five minutes ago.

"Yeah. It was actually because of Leo that I realized it at all. Guy had always treated me that way, but I thought that's what men did. I assumed I wasn't important and worse, I accepted that. I was so damned worried about being a bother to him. My dad died before I was born so I didn't really have a parental template to work from, you know?"

"Leo showed you that?"

"Yeah. A long time ago now. Like eight months now."

"Eight months! You've known them that long?"

"Well, it was like a year ago when I met them, with the gunman and everything. When the gunman was released, Leo and Don came by to make sure I knew. Leo was a little…distant. His main priority was his family and I don't fault him that at all. He was cool with me, but dependable and fair. I respected him so much. And one night was particularly bad for me. Guy wouldn't come, he was at a work party and didn't want to look like a jerk for leaving early. So on a whim, I called Don. Don had been very friendly and kind to me. He patched my bullet scrape." T'mana touched her temple unconsciously. "But he didn't answer the phone. Leo did. I back peddled immediately, saying it wasn't important and that he didn't need to mention it to Don. And he said he would come right over. Without my even asking. I knew Leo was probably annoyed, but I was so grateful to not be alone that I was relieved he was coming." T'mana shook her head with a small smile.

"What?" Sandra couldn't help but smile herself. "Did you guys declare your love?" Sandra joked. T'mana blushed furiously.

"No! We haven't…I mean I never…"

"Calm down! I was only kidding…kind of. But you were saying? He came over anyway and…"

"And I found out that he had left a concert to come be with me. It was his favorite band and I knew they all had been excited about it. Even Leo was. I only saw him smile when he talked about that band, so when I realized he left something he had been so excited about, I felt terrible! And do you know what he said? I'll never forget it. He said 'it's just a concert.' And then he shrugged like it was no big deal. And that's when it hit me. That Leo dropped everything without even knowing what I wanted because he heard something in my voice and that my own boyfriend couldn't tear himself away from some unimportant work party that he had been at for hours already."

"So…where did that put you two?"

"Well, he stayed the night, but not the way you're thinking!" T'mana jumped ahead. "Nothing like that, we both slept on the couch because we fell asleep watching TV. Then when we woke up, I thanked him and we parted ways. It was sort of decided that he needed distance and I gave it to him. About a week later I found out about my Mom and decided that Guy needed to go." T'mana shrugged. "Then I didn't see them, any of them, for eight months. I can't begin to tell you how shocked I was to see Leo in Stockman's lab." Sandra absorbed this information.

"But…not to pry, things seem different now. It seems Leo isn't looking for distance anymore."

"I noticed that, too." T'mana smiled again, shyly. "I wish I knew the reason."

"Oh, my dear. Really? You know the reason."

"I don't." T'mana insisted. "It could just be that he feels guilty because of what happened to me. That I got hurt trying to help him. He carries a lot on his shoulders. So I don't really know where this new behavior is coming from. And I don't know how I feel about it. I mean, it's nice. _He's_ nice. But…"

"He's a giant mutant turtle." Sandra supplied.

"Yes. Part of me doesn't care. It's telling me that a good person is a good person no matter what their DNA says. But then, another part, my practical side…" T'mana couldn't finish.

"You wonder what kind of life you could have if it did go anywhere, right?"

"Right! I mean, he lives in a sewer. I don't think I could do that. I mean, I stayed with them for a short time when my life was in danger and it wasn't bad at all, but it was in the sewer. I had to climb up out of a manhole to go to work and spray on perfume to hide any residual smell. I didn't work for you at the time, not directly. But my life was in danger and I was grateful they let me into their home. But…"

"For the rest of your life is different. It's daunting."

"Yes. But that's not even really bad. I mean, I could work through that if there was something there, but there are other things…"

"Do you find him attractive?" Sandra asked casually, guessing where T'mana was going with her thought. T'mana blushed.

"I…yes." She admitted. "I know that sounds strange. But, knowing him changed how I see him. That sounds so cliché, but it really is true. I can read his face so well and lately, when I feel his touch, it's …nice. There's nothing grabby about him or demanding. Every touch is to help me or comfort me. Guy was just…he wasn't like that at all. When he touched me there was no doubt what he wanted from me. Which makes me wonder…"

"If Leo finds you attractive." Sandra finished again. She kept her voice neutral, knowing this was very difficult for T'mana to speak about.

"Yes. I mean, are they so different that we look ugly to them?"

"Not if Mikey's an example. He's all over O'Rourke calling her 'beautiful' and 'babe'. I see the way he looks at her, too. He _likes_ the way she looks." T'mana nodded thoughtfully as she listened.

"And…do you …um…see anything when Leo …I mean-"

"Yes, dear. I do. But it's different from Mikey. Leo looks at you as if you are precious. Mikey looks at O'Rourke as if he'd shag her in a broom closet if it wasn't for her leg."

"Sandra!"

"It's true! I can tell he definitely feels very physical about O'Rourke. But he likes her, too. It might not be tender devotion, but it's definitely kindhearted. O'Rourke will have her hands full with his attention." Sandra chuckled and T'mana smiled. "So…if Leo does find you attractive and he does want a relationship, how would that make you feel?" Sandra continued.

"Wonderful." T'mana murmured instantly and then she froze realizing what she had said. "I really like him, Sandra. He's just…so unlike any man I've ever met. He's so much better in almost every way. Except for one."

"Yes." Sandra agreed. "Do you…want children? Is that a factor?"

"It's irrelevant now." T'mana answered. She hadn't explained her sterility to Sandra, but knew she would now in the comfort of their solitude.

"Irrelevant. Hardly, dear. It's a big factor that should be considered."

"Sandra, I can't have children anymore." T'mana's voice, once quiet and whispy, was now flat and emotionless. Which told Sandra that T'mana felt emotions about it so deep she was trying to hide them from herself.

"What do you mean 'anymore', dear?"

"Stockman…he…injected me with something. Don said he tried everything but by the time he realized what it meant, it was too late. I'm…sterile now." T'mana saw Sandra's hand tighten on the arm of the couch and her lips thin with fury. Sandra was beyond enraged. But also, in the back of her mind, she was coming to understand that Don's stress level had been high for several days now. Far longer than Sandra's had. First his brother went missing, then he arrives with T'mana injured. He heals her only to find out he can't reverse her sterilization. Then Sandra and her crew drop in and shoot him. Then he needs to divine a miracle cure and all the while deal with a testy, emotional female who kept attacking him! She felt her anger leak out of her pores.

"I'm so sorry, dear." She said softly. She put her hand on T'mana's and squeezed reassuringly. "You've been through so much."

"We all have. But at least we all have each other to lean on. Leo's been so good to me despite everything else on his mind."

"Yes. Don, too." Sandra admitted quietly. "Why am I such a mega bitch? I can't seem to control it. I was so angry with him!"

"Why?"

"I don't even know anymore. It made so much sense this morning and I really wanted to just punch him in the face! But now, when I think of everything he's had to do, including dealing with me, I can't think of a reason for me to be so upset with him."

"He's a turtle, but he's still a man. I think that you have a hard time seeing past that."

"Sometimes, well, most times, actually, I really hate myself." This time it was T'mana who offered a comforting hand.

"Don't." T'mana said simply. "You're a good person. You just have…trust issues." Sandra clipped out a laugh.

"That's an understatement, dear. I hate men and they hate me right back."

"Don doesn't hate you." Sandra made a sound of disgust.

"He should. I haven't given him any reason not to. I should just join a damn convent. I bet I'd be a whole lot nicer being removed from the population of men."

"No way!" T'mana laughed. "You cuss way too much to be in a convent. They'd have to put you in a vow of silence and you would literally die."

"Ha! You're probably right. Ah, well."

"I think…" T'mana started tentatively. "Don't be mad that I'm saying this, Ms. Grey." T'mana unconsciously reverted to being an employed subordinate and Sandra's eyes narrowed in preparation. "But, if you just apologized to Don, it would be done and over. He doesn't hold grudges. Of all his brothers he's the most patient and kind. He has a very passive nature and he doesn't want to keep any bad blood around. I think he'll be relieved and happy to move on."

"But then, won't that open the door to…I don't know. I just don't know, T. I think it's best to leave it where we're at now. Professional allies. That'll do me just fine. He'll keep his distance-"

"Did he try something with you?" T'mana asked at those words, surprised.

"Well…"

"What did he do?"

"You make it sound like he jumped me, T. It wasn't really like that. He just…kissed my forehead…and then he let me cry myself to sleep in his arms. I…had a weak moment and he saw it. I think that's why I hated him. I don't let people see me like that and he just happened to witness it. He handled it like…well…a gentlemen, but I think I can't forgive him for seeing me that way." T'mana was silent a moment.

"Did he laugh? Did he lecture you to grow a pair and quit your whining?"

"No. No, he didn't. I said he acted like a gentleman."

"Then what's the problem? I think you should apologize. He probably has no idea where your hostility is coming from and it probably scares him. I don't want to say he's timid, because he's not. I've seen him spar and he can be lethal if he needs to be, but he's very …sensitive and thoughtful. He's probably going over every conversation in his head trying to figure out what he did wrong because he would never blame you."

"No." Sandra contradicted. "He knows. I…sort of let it slip that I have a thing against men."

"Oh. What did he say to that?"

"He said he was sorry if I had to deal with men like that but that he wasn't that way. Then he calmly left the room when I made it clear I wasn't going to apologize for what I said."

"I see." T'mana said quietly. "When was that?"

"When I was making breakfast."

"Oh." T'mana seemed to brighten. "See? And he still offered to help with O'Rourke and said he would keep you safe." T'mana paused for effect. "He is so into you."

"Shut up, T." Sandra said good-naturedly. "He's not."

"He is!" T'mana teased. Then her eyes went wide. "And you're into him, too!"

"No." Sandra denied.

"Yes!" Sandra stood and pointed at T'mana ready to firmly deny it, but couldn't keep her face straight.

"Damn." Sandra admitted defeat. "Is that what this is? Do I…_like_ him?"

"I think so." T'mana offered sagely. "Trust me, you can do a whole lot worse than Don. He's the one…well, let's just say that Leo was content to leave me bleeding in the sewer when Don wanted to tend to my wounds and make sure I was safe."

"What?" Sandra seemed appalled.

"Well, to be fair, Leo wasn't sure why the gunman was shooting at me and if I was an enemy or not. But Don, he just wants to help. That's his nature. Leo needs to keep an eye out for potential danger. I think…I think they've reached out for friendship before and got burned, so he plays it really safe now."

"Hmmm." Sandra murmured, resuming her seat.

"They lean on each other. Leo expects Don to keep him compassionate and Don expects Leo to keep Don smart about it."

"And Raph and Mikey?"

"Well, Raph's the muscle, clearly. And Mikey…is Mikey." T'mana shrugged. "I think he reminds everyone that life is worth enjoying now and then."

"O'Rourke certainly needs that reminder right now." Sandra observed.

"And you," T'mana wasn't going to be deterred. "Need Don's compassion." Sandra rolled her eyes. "My mother always said you can't have too many friends and that a friend is never a bad thing." Sandra fell back into the couch with a huff.

"Well…I can't fight you and your mother. Damn." Mikey walked in and saw them both on the couch, his step hesitated and stopped.

"Am I interrupting?" He asked.

"No," Sandra answered, eager to end her current conversation. "What's up?"

"I thought now would be a good time for the defense walk through. I'll start doing regular patrolling now. We were kind of just throwin' it in when we could."

"Of course." Sandra stood and turned to T'mana. "You want me to take you anywhere before I leave?"

"Could you walk me to my mom? I'd like to visit with her for a while, even if she's just sleeping."

"Certainly, dear." Sandra said kindly and stooped to help T'mana. Once she had T'mana settled, Sandra drifted out and met Mikey. He was about to speak, when she cut him off. "I think we should start in the surveillance room, so you can see what the cameras cover." Mikey nodded his agreement. When they entered the room Mikey's eyes widened in appreciation.

"Whoa." He murmured. "Donnie's gonna flip when he sees this."

"Why?" Sandra asked.

"Because this is awesome. Our video system was…well…not like this."

"Hmmm." She allowed. Her mind was at work regarding a peace offering.

"Did Lyde look this over?" He asked.

"Yes. She helped design it. Why?" Mikey shrugged.

"She's the geek who took out Don's system. Thought it would be good to have her look at this one is all." Then Mikey sat down in the observer chair and began to stare. His eyes flicked every second or so as he seemed to be looking for something. "How big are the blindspots?" He turned and looked to her.

"Um…I think no larger than five feet, but I-"

"Would Lyde know for sure?"

"Yes."

"Okey dokey." He returned to the screens and looked intently at them again for several minutes. He stood when he was done. "Lyde, then?" Sandra gestured that he should lead the way. Mikey knocked 'shave and haircut' and Lyde called for them to come in.

"Hey, long time no see." He said with a smile. Lyde gave a tentative grin, still nervous because of their last conversation. "So…you designed the camera surveillance system?"

"Yep."

"How big are the blindspots?"

"Minimal. There are three. Two are on either side of the driveway and they are each a meter. The third is in the back yard near the garden and that one is only six inches."

"Not bad. How'd you do that with only six cameras?" Lyde blinked.

"Well…I incorporated Ms. Grey's prairie surveillance."

"Her what?"

"Ms. Grey! You have to show him the sync. She always forgets that. If you go back, you hit…do you have a pen and paper?" Sandra went into a desk and grabbed it, then handed it to Lyde. "Just enter this and it will sync up thirteen other cameras that Ms. Grey has observing her prairie dog grounds. Also, we have a breech alarm for anything that comes within ten feet of the fenced area and twelve feet for the driveway area. It's set to 'stealth' right now, so that only Ms. Grey can hear it. Maybe you should change the setting, Ms. Grey." Sandra nodded.

"Only she can hear it? How's that work?" Mikey asked and Sandra raised her wrist.

"It sounds like an alarm clock, but it's not." She explained. She clicked something on the wheel of the watch. "There. It's off stealth now. It will blare through the house speakers now. I'll do a test to show you."

"Wait!" Mikey said. "We'll do that, but let's let Tim and O'Rourke know before we freak them out. Okay?"

"Right." Sandra blushed a little.

"Last thing we need is for O'Rourke to go all 'rrrr'" And he made an angry face with clawed hands. He dropped it quickly and went back to normal. "You know?"

"Yes, we don't want that." Sandra agreed. "I'll also tell you the codes so you can disarm and reactivate when you're switching patrols."

"Awesome. But a test run would be good. We can check to make sure everyone hears it. And, I'll want everyone to have their cells with them and charged so they can call to make sure everyone else heard and is aware. Yeah?"

"Agreed." Sandra was surprised, but tried not to let it show.

"So phones and chargers by beds and I'll figure out a phone tree. Can you take me around the perimeter now?"

"Yes. Follow me." He waved goodbye to Lyde and they left the room. She took him all around and he stopped and investigated things every three seconds. It was grating on Sandra's nerves, but she wasn't going to say a word about it. After about an hour of this, Mikey finally stopped.

"Okay, think I got it now."

"Got what?" Sandra asked. All they had done was walk the perimeter and that should have only taken fifteen minutes. He tapped his head.

"It's all up here now. The blind spots and trouble spots that I'll double check when I patrol." He shrugged. "The usual."

"Didn't the cameras give you all that?"

"Some. But I needed to see where the blind spots were and check out other potential probs, you know. The usual drill. I'll run it every two hours or so." He started back to the house. "So prairie dogs, huh? How come?"

"They're an endangered breed of that species. They don't need to be."

"Uh-huh. So you, like, help them become not endangered?"

"That's the idea. I give them land where they're safer and-"

"Safe-_er_?" He asked.

"Yes. There are still predators on the land, but it's a thin ratio. See, when I re-distribute them into the wild I want them to still be able to survive on their own. That means sensing predators and evading them. Instincts only get you so far."

"Uh-huh. So, then what?"

"I wait for the number to be satisfactory before I release them."

"How do you get that number?"

"Well, they know what to do on that count." Sandra grinned. "Breeding requires less thought than surviving." Mikey blushed.

"Oh…so they…right." He nodded his head. "Um…can I ask you something…Ms. Grey?"

"You may."

"What would you have done with Leo? I mean, if this whole big thing didn't happen?"

"Leo and Don already asked the same question, no need to be embarrassed." Sandra soothed Mikey's blushing nerves. "I already told them that T'mana never would have let it get that far. She knew Leo and would have made something up. Like he died or escaped or something. Probably died, on her watch, too. She would have taken the onus on that so that I wouldn't go back to Stockman. Stockman would have had his money, Leo would have gotten away and I would have been none the wiser. That's what would have happened." Then Mikey went further than his brothers, something Sandra did not expect.

"And if it wasn't T'mana that was working for you? If it was just a regular um…transaction, I guess. What then?"

"Why is it so important to know?" Sandra asked quietly.

"Dunno. Just need to know, I guess." Sandra sighed.

"Well…I suppose I would have been put off by his being alone. I need to have at least two, one from either gender, to bring back from endangerment." She made a point of not looking at Mikey. "But, I also know that Stockman is nothing if not persistent and would have kept pushing, knowing my interests. I very well might have been persuaded to purchase Leo out of scientific curiosity."She stopped talking and Mikey let a moment pass silently before he spoke.

"So, then what would you have done when he was…delivered to you?"

"Well…I'm sure Leo would have kept his intelligence hidden as best he could. No doubt considering that a card up his sleeve."

"And you?"

"I would have observed him." Sandra shrugged. "Not to brag, but I would have picked up on his intelligence right away. Then I …would have cautiously tried to test it."

"Test what?"

"His intelligence."

"How?" She shrugged.

"I have my ways. Nothing painful or cruel. But when I discovered how intelligent he was, and I would have, I would have tried to help him. Again, cautiously. I'm not stupid, but I'm not malicious, either. I'm sorry, is this offensive? My speaking this way?" Mikey shook his head.

"Nah. Donnie's always saying that science doesn't hate. He has this really dumb example." Mikey changed his voice to be deep and wise for the next part. "Science sees a functional plaid chair. A human sees an ugly plaid chair." He chuckled and Sandra stumbled at his words. "Whoa, you okay?"

"Yep." She said, flustered at letting herself trip. Mikey looked chagrined.

"Sorry." He said. "Was _that_ offensive? I didn't mean-"

"No problem." She said crisply and pointed that he should continue. It hadn't been offensive per se, but it had hit Sandra at her core without her even fully understanding it. She prided herself on being a scientist, but she allowed her judgment to color everything she did. She realized now that Don was a truer definition of the word than she. Humans were a potential threat to Don and his brothers. She could see the logic in that. However, Don did not make the assumption that all humans were bad. Then there was Sandra. Men were potential threats to her, but she _did_ assume that all men were dangerous and treated them accordingly. Don was pissing her off and he wasn't even here!

"Okay." Mikey agreed quickly and stepped to move ahead.

"Damn it." She whispered. "Sorry, Mikey." He stopped and turned towards her a little. "I'm neurotic." She explained. He made no reaction. "Yeah, I'm not manic-depressive, but I do have crazy mood swings. It's not chemical, it's just me. Don was getting the brunt of it."

"Yeah." Mikey nodded.

"Yeah? Like he told you?"

"Nope. Like I have eyes and can read the tension between you two." Mikey rolled his eyes. "And it's not all Don's tension." He guessed her next comment and raised an eye ridge.

"Wonderful. So it's obvious. That's just fucking great." She started to walk and Mikey joined her.

"Are you ticked now? I just-"

"Neurotic!" She screeched and waved her hands in frustration. "Hrrhh! I mean I know that the girls picked up on it, but I thought that was because they knew me. But you guys see it, too. That's just the icing on the damn cake today. And now I have to call that damn psychopath. Fuck."

"You should probably…um…mellow out before you call him."

"It won't fucking matter. Because any word that man says is going to catapult me into a fury."

"Don't." Mikey warned. "Just take a chill pill and let it stay with you. If Stockman suspects you know anything, it could be a mega problem, okay?"

"Oh, really? Is that what could happen? Because I had no idea."

"Ouch. Let's just get back inside, twitchy teeth."

"Twitchy what?"

"Your teeth totally twitch when you go all spastic. It's kinda-"

"In!" She pointed to the door and he sailed through it without another word. She stepped in behind him and closed the door.

"Jeez! How'd you make all this money? Don't you have to deal with people to get rich and stay rich?"

"No." Sandra snapped. "I have people to do that for me. Like T'mana."

"Yeah, she's better with people." Mikey agreed. He shook his head. "Hero." He mumbled to himself.

"What?"

"Nothin'. I think I'll patrol in another hour and a half. So, think I'll go pay a visit to-"

"Did you say 'hero'?" Sandra was visibly grinding her teeth. "Like in a sarcastic way?" Mikey sighed.

"No. Ms. Grey."

"Don't, Ms. Fucking Grey me."

"Well, I know you don't like ma'am."

"Why did you say 'hero', then? Hmm? Explain."

"You have ears like a bat!"

"What?"

"You know, bats have good hearing. Sonar."

"Whatever. Why?"

"Just something I heard." He didn't expand.

"I am dangerously close to being angry, Mikey." Mikey's eyes widened.

"This…isn't angry?"

"No…no this is not angry, Mikey. You don't want to see me angry, Mikey. There is a lot of pain involved. Explain."

"Don said it. I didn't say it!" Mikey stepped back. Not wanting to experience firsthand her real anger. She cooled noticeably at his words.

"What did he say?"

"He said you're his hero. He's such a geek. He pays attention to all those sites, you know? Where scientific awards are mentioned and the latest and greatest stuff is listed out. He totally follows all of that."

"Why?" Sandra asked, much more quietly than she had been.

"Dunno. I think he likes to see other geeks get their rewards because he can't, but I don't really know. Just guessin'."

"Go bug O'Rourke." She snapped.

"Yes, ma-Ms. Grey." And he skidded out of the room quickly.

"Damn it." She said. "Now I'm a bitchy hero."


	19. Chapter 19

Mikey jumped into O'Rourke's room with speed and drama, fleeing from the angry Ms. Grey.

"Jeez!" O'Rourke had her hand clutched to her chest. "What are you doing?" Mikey smiled.

"Just escaping Ms. Grey. She's a little…well…" He moved his finger around his temple to indicate her insanity.

"Awww…is big tough Mikey scared of wittle Ms. Grey?" Mikey's eyes widened in surprise and pleasure at her playful tone, but he could tell she looked drawn and tired.

"Yes." Mikey admitted without hesitation. "And there is nothing 'wittle' about Ms. Grey when she's pissed." O'Rourke smiled at his words. "You okay?"

"Ummhmm." She said.

"Pain meds kickin' in?" He smiled.

"No…" Mikey flashed back through the morning.

"Did you get your afternoon dose?" He asked. O'Rourke said nothing. "Ah…you're killing me! I just escaped from her claws." He smiled good-naturedly. "Only for you." He winked and left the room. He returned minutes later with a less irate Ms. Grey.

"I'm so sorry, dear! It's all ready to go, let me just dab this clean…" She cleaned O'Rourke's elbow and administered the shot.

"How come you're not using pills now, like T'mana?"

"O'Rourke is allergic to most things in pill form. So, I'm giving it to her this way. No allergies to shots." She put a band-aid on the puncture. "Okay, I'm going to check on Lyde now. I think I did the same thing to her, poor dear." She bustled out. Mikey crossed his arms.

"Oh, boy." O'Rourke said. "You have a lecture." She leaned back on the pillow and took a deep breath as if she had been holding it.

"You didn't say that before." He said.

"Say, what? 'Oh, boy'?"

"No, about the pills. When Donnie asked you about allergies."

"He asked if I had any allergies to shots and I said 'no'." she breathed again.

"No," Mikey corrected, trying to be patient. "He asked if you had allergies to pain medication. And you said 'no'." O'Rourke frowned at his words.

"Did he? I don't think…well, if he tried to give me a pill, I would have said 'no way'." She looked up and saw his stern look. "Jeez, I'm not suicidal. Stop it." She took another breath.

"Does it hurt a lot now?"

"Yeah. It's starting to sink in now. I think earlier I was still pretty drugged and also…I don't know…not really dealing with it."

"All right…that's good. Talk it out." Mikey praised.

"Don't do that." O'Rourke snapped.

"What?"

"Treat me like I'm an infant. Good job, way to go! I hate that crap."

"Okay, nothing wrong with staying positive, D. And…'talk it out' is a far cry from 'way to go'. This is gonna be hard. I know you know that, so you gotta take the little victories. Or you'll give up."

"I know, I know. Easier said than done."

"Yep, sure is. That's why…can I get an 'amen', you need support!" He had his hands raised as if giving a sermon. "Get it? Cause I preach…"

"Yeah…I got it." But O'Rourke was smiling. He loved her smile and he loved when he was the reason she smiled. "So, you took a patrol? How did you find it?"

"Quiet. I got it vectored and sectored." Mikey used a computer voice and moved his arms robotically. "Found the holes, too. I'll keep watch on those. Talked to Lyde. It's good security."

"Good. Thorough."

"Oy." Mikey huffed. "I hate when you go robot. You are not a robot. You have feelings and I know you want to be the one patrolling. I'm not an idiot. But that's out of the question for now."

"For now?" O'Rourke asked, exasperated. "Forever! My patrolling days are done!"

"Retiring?"

"What? Are you-"

"Because that's up to you." Mikey cut in, ending the beginnings of a tirade. "I heard Ms. Grey and Don say that your knee looks good. I mean, I coulda vouched for that day one," Mikey smirked as O'Rourke blushed at that comment. "But they know what they're talkin' about. You wanna walk again, you will. You wanna run again, you will." He paused for effect. "You're the only one already thinking of holding yourself back. So stop! I'll smack you every time you get negative for no reason."

"So I'm allowed to get negative with a reason?"

"Sure! Can't be happy every minute of every day like _moi_. But I'll be the judge on what's fair or not. So no retiring. You're on …hiatus. Sabbatical, or whatever."

"You're going to be my cheerleader?" She asked sardonically.

"I prefer morale coach. And yes, yes I am." He grinned and O'Rourke allowed herself a small smile in return.

* * *

"This is Ms. Sandra Grey, I need to speak with Dr. Stockman now." Sandra was on her cell in her own bedroom in the closet. She needed to feel as private as possible about this.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Stockman is not available."

"Not available? Did you hear me? This is Sandra. Grey. Do you understand? Are you new?" She was chewing out this intern and it felt good.

"Um…I'm sorry. Can you hold please?"

"Hold? Are you-" Sandra shut her mouth as she heard the elevator music pour through the ear piece of her phone.

"Ms. Grey? I am so terribly sorry. This is Melanie."

"I was put on hold, Melanie."

"Yes, Ms. Grey. I will have a talk with her as soon as I've assisted you to your satisfaction. I do apologize. How may I help you?"

"That's better, Melanie. I expect better treatment since I have been working with Dr. Stockman for years. I need to speak with him now. He'll know what it's about."

"I'm afraid Cindy was correct. Dr. Stockman is not available."

"Not available? Melanie, I deserve better than that pandering double talk. Are you trying to push me aside?"

"Of course not, Ms. Grey. My employer has left specific instructions on how to handle his absence. It is…of a personal nature."

"Oh…personal? Everything okay? He doesn't ever take personal leave…not as far as I've known him."

"I'm afraid I don't have the details, Ms. Grey. But I will certainly inform him that you called."

"Yes, please do. And tell him I'll need the details he promised me before I can go forward with the transaction. But I am ready to do so. I'm building the habitat now."

"Yes, Ms. Grey. I have it now. You need the details to proceed with the transaction. You are building the habitat now, so you are waiting on Dr. Stockman."

"Yes, Melanie. And I don't like to be kept waiting. If I don't hear from Stockman, I'll expect to hear from you once a week. Understood?"

"Yes, Ms. Grey. I will add it to my calendar until Dr. Stockman returns. Anything else I can help you with today?"

"No." She hit the button to end the call and took a deep breath. Good. She didn't really want to talk to that bastard anyway. But it was interesting. It could be bad interesting, though. "Shit." She murmured to herself. She went to her contact list, hit a button, and then put the phone to her ear.

"Ms. Grey?" The confused voice was laced with concern. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, Don. Well, I'm not sure." She sighed and went over her phone conversation with the admin in detail. "It could mean that he's so hurt he can't come to the phone or he's so pissed he's plotting his evil revenge."

"Okay." Don said as he thought a moment. "I think Mikey should patrol extra, so tell him about the call as well. I'm checking my sources for anything about him, but so far…nothing. I think he's alive and hiding until he's recuperated, but that doesn't mean he can't send people to do his bidding." Don sighed and paused a moment. "I'm glad you called." The statement threw her in its honesty. It seemed something one would say when trying to salvage an intimate relationship.

"I told you I would."She tried to keep the harshness out of her voice, but knew she failed.

"Are you mad at me or something else?" Sandra sighed.

"Something else. Everything else." She admitted. "I just want this over."

"We'll get through this. We're not going to leave you without a net."

"I know. How's everything back home? Security back up?" Don was surprised. He figured the call would end after thirty seconds, but she was continuing it of her own free will. In fact, he was surprised she called at all, but was very glad that she had.

"Yeah, it's back up. When Lyde's better, I think I'd like her to take a look at it. Since she hacked my other one."

"Mikey said you would like my security set up. Lyde designed it."

"I'm sure it's great."

"You should come look at it sometime." She felt like a teenager dancing around a date for the first time. There was a long pause and she thought she had ruined any hope of reconciliation.

"I…would like that." Don said, the shock was clearly evident in his voice.

"Okay…well…" She cleared her throat. "I'm just going to say this because it's easier over the phone and you need to hear it." She paused and Don tensed on the other side of the line, waiting for her biting remark to push him away after he foolishly accepted her offered olive branch invitation. "I…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have treated you like I did. You're right. You didn't deserve it… Goodbye." She hit the button to end the call quickly and noted that her heart beat more furiously now than it had before she called Stockman. What was he doing to her? She had no way of knowing that Don was now staring at his phone, a small smile playing on his lips as he planned to stop by tomorrow to relieve Mikey.

* * *

The rest of the day was uneventful on both sides. At the lair, the turtles went to sleep in their own beds. Don, of course, informed Leo about his call with Sandra enough to impart the wisdom that Stockman may or may not be in the game, but he was at least hiding on the sidelines for now. At the estate, Mikey helped with lunch and had all the ladies in O'Rourke's room for cards. They taught O'Rourke Hearts and Mikey, of course, teamed with her against T'mana and Ms. Grey while Lyde sat out until next round. Ms. Grey outfitted Mikey with his own room and bed, more for O'Rourke's sake, than Mikey's. She could see he would have had no problem lying on the cold hard floor if it was in the same room as O'Rourke. But he went without a word and winked a goodnight with a smile to O'Rourke as he left. He also made sure that Ms. Grey did not forget her pain medication again.

The morning began easily. Sandra checked on everyone and found that only Mikey was missing from his bed. She went to the surveillance room and found him on his rounds, diligent as ever. It was early, only six am, so she decided to go to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. She plunked herself on a stool as it percolated. After her coffee was ready and she took her first black, bitter sip, she heard murmured voices. She opened the door and peeked out to see Mikey speaking with Don. Don was nodding his head as he listened to his brother. She wrinkled her nose, but couldn't hold back the sneeze. She wiped her nose apologetically as she noted that both brothers were now looking her way.

She knew she must be a sight to see. Bedraggled hair, no make-up, ratty robe tied around her limp baggy pajamas and her coffee mug that said 'high on sci-fi' with a picture of GORT from The Day the Earth Stood Still. She turned the mug toward her to hide the embarrassing declaration and cleared her throat, only to find it thick with flem.

"Good morning." Don said quietly and with such eloquence that further disheartened Sandra at her morning dis-glory. She raised her mug in greeting, since she was afraid her voice would rasp instead of serenely reply and bowed as she climbed the stairs to her room. She hadn't even brushed her teeth yet! She swigged the piping hot liquid and felt it scald all the way down and that was perfect because she was good and awake now. In twenty minutes, she was showered, dressed and made up to be presentable and she sauntered down the stairs listening for voices as she went. She found them in her surveillance room. Don looked up and smiled kindly at her as she opened the door, she returned it sheepishly.

"Good morning." She said smoothly, pleased that her voice was like honey instead of gravel.

"Sorry about before." Don offered. "We didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't. I just…uh…needed my coffee. You're both early risers. Didn't think about that."

"Yeah, yesterday was atypical. We were all drained from…events, so we slept in more than usual."

"Oh. Makes sense." Don felt it getting awkward so he pointed to the TV bank of camera feeds.

"This is amazing." He said. "Two separate fields united into one for tracking."

"Yeah," Sandra leaned against the desk, facing the two turtles. "Lyde's got a good head on her shoulders. I told her what I needed and she just made it happen."

"There more of that coffee?" Mikey asked hopefully.

"Yeah. In the kitchen. Help yourself."

"Cool. Don?"

"I'm good, Mike." Mikey left, leaving Don and Sandra alone. Don kept silent, purposefully making it her move. She noticed it and respected him for it.

"Are you relieving Mikey, then?"

"That's the plan." Don allowed genially.

"Did you need a walk around? Mikey asked me to show him."

"Uh…thanks, but Mikey did before I even came inside. I alerted him that I was here, and he took me on his patrol to show me."

"Oh. Good." She stood up straight, moving from the desk. She didn't know what to do next or what to say. It was really hard being nice. As if reading her thoughts, Don spoke.

"It doesn't have to be this hard." Don suggested. "You apologized and if you hadn't hung up on me, I would have accepted." He smiled and turned the swivel chair to face her.

"Um. Mike just went to get coffee. He'll be back soon." She was hinting at their short time, so they couldn't get into deep discussion right now.

"No." Don sighed. "Mikey doesn't drink coffee. He's uh…letting us talk."

"Oh." Her voice was hard. She was being played! She folded her arms across her chest and chewed her lip for a moment. "So…how does this work then?" She was all business again and her words threw Don.

"Um…I'm not sure what you mean. How does _what_ work?" He asked. She huffed and moved a finger between the two of them.

"This."

"Again, I'm not sure what you mean. Are you asking what friendship entails? Or are you asking about…us professionally?"

"Yes." She answered. Don put a hand to his forehead in thought.

"Okay." He said calmly. "I…uh…don't really know what to do, either. You are…most decidedly unlike any person I've ever met." Sandra frowned. "See…you're frowning, but I haven't said anything bad." She huffed again.

"I know." She agreed harshly.

"And there it is." Don said, gesturing to her. "I don't know what to do about this. You're mad and I don't even know why."

"Being nice is hard!" Sandra whined. Don actually smiled.

"It doesn't have to be." He shrugged. "Try saying something nice. It doesn't even have to be about me. Just…anything nice. Try." He gestured to her. She bit her lip in thought for a moment. "Is it that hard?" Don asked, honestly.

"Yes!" Sandra snapped. "Because whatever I say, you'll hear and make a judgment. So if I say something stupid or too personal or not personal enough or-"

"Whoa!" Don said, raising his hands to silence her. "Let's just stop that before you go galloping off into crazy land, okay?" She fell silent and let her mouth close in a pouting way. "Just say something nice without thinking about it."

"I can't do that."

"Why?"

"Because! You have to think in order to speak."

"No, you don't. Mikey proves that point every time he opens his mouth."

"So you want me to be like Mikey?" She asked, jokingly.

"For the moment, yes. Try that. Just blurt out some random nice thing." He waited and when she remained silent he ordered. "Now!"

"Yellow roses are pretty." She blurted and immediately blushed. "Well that was dumb." She insulted.

"No, it wasn't." Don admonished. "Yellow roses _are_ pretty."

"It wasn't a compliment." She pointed out.

"It was to yellow roses."

"Are you mocking me right now?" Don chuckled lightly, not letting her frustration ruffle him.

"I didn't say to compliment someone. I said to say something nice and you did. Was it so hard?"

"Yes." She answered stubbornly. "And it's stupid. Because roses die in days, so what's the point anyway?" Don shrugged.

"To enjoy them while they're here?" He asked. "Who knows? It's one of life's little things that we can appreciate. Why are you so intent on insulting your own words? I don't understand. You're only upsetting yourself." She crossed her arms again.

"Whatever." She muttered.

"Did you think I would laugh? So you insulted yourself first, before I could? Is that what you were doing or do you really think it's stupid to think that roses are pretty?"

"What are you? Sigmund Freud? What is this, a psychology lesson?"

"Okay." Don said calmly. "I want you to look at me, and then look at yourself. Then I want you to go over this conversation again in your head for a moment." He waited patiently and watched as her face went calm and then embarrassed.

"Fuck." She whispered. "What is fucking wrong with me?"

"That." Don answered. "That right there." He pointed to her. "You've said that a few times and I've only met you a few days ago. There's nothing wrong with you, but you clearly think there is. And _that_ is the problem." She leaned against the wall.

"Then I'm totally fucked." She said.

"I really hate that word." Don muttered, not realizing that she heard it.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Your virgin ears." She joked. Don blushed, but rolled his eyes. "I'm screwed." She corrected.

"Oh, that's so much better." Don said, annoyed. "Just stop saying things like that."

"How do you do it?"

"What? Be nice?"

"Yeah. How do you do it?"

"I just do. I don't know. It's just in my nature to …do that." He shrugged. She squinted at him.

"That is so helpful."

"Let me put it this way. You're different with…T'mana." He picked her as a pattern. "Would you, as a random non-specific example, cry on her shoulder and then the next morning get mad at her the next time you saw her because of it?"

"No." Sandra answered, feeling chastised.

"Okay. So…you _can_ be nice. There's just something about m-men." His stutter over the word made her think he was going to say 'me' instead of men.

"So…you want me to imagine you all in skirts, or something?"

"Would it help?" Don seethed inwardly at the image.

"No. Wouldn't change the fact you got man parts." Don blushed furiously. "I mean…you do, don't you?" Don raised his eyes heavenward.

"Wow." He said. "I don't even…wow."

"What? You're a guy, so you have guy parts. It's nature. They must be stuffed somewhere in your shell or something…" she perused his sitting frame. He turned the chair and pushed himself into the desk, to block her roving eyes.

"What…what does that even…" He was beyond flustered. She was charmed by his prudishness. "How does that even matter?" He finally sputtered.

"I'm a scientist. I know sex is a driving force amongst all living creatures." She sighed wistfully. "If only things were as easy as they were in the animal kingdom. The female gives off a scent, the male comes sniffing, does a little dance to entice her and done." She snapped her fingers with ease. "No fuss, no muss. Just move on."

"Simpler, not better." He said, still facing the desk with his hands clamped on the edge as if holding on for life. There was nothing external for her to see, but her perusal made him uncomfortable just the same.

"Simpler _is_ better." She contradicted.

"No." He insisted.

"Oh, I forgot. You're 'not like that'. Right, my bad. You're the one male in the entire universe who has a _different_ angle." She used finger quotes for 'different'. He put his head in his hands, leaning on the desk. It looked like he was crying, but she could tell he wasn't. He took a deep breath.

"I wonder…" He mused through his hands. "Do you even know how hurtful you are?" He slid his hands down his face and his eyes swiveled to find her.

"How is that hurtful?" She asked honestly. "Males live to fu-"

"Don't." Don said dangerously and Sandra felt her mouth close slowly with caution. "We, despite how we look, are _not_ animals. We are not slaves to our bodies and instincts. We have minds. So we do _not_ live to…for that." He fell silent.

"You're a rarer breed than I thought." She said softly. He chuffed indignantly.

"Yes, a turtle freak." He mumbled.

"I meant a gentleman. Turtle freaks, I can handle. Gentlemen…well, they're elusive…like bigfoot. I think you just blew my mind." He looked up at her and saw that she wasn't being derogatory or cruel. She seemed pleasantly surprised.

"So now I'm bigfoot?" He tried for humor.

"I said _like_ bigfoot." She corrected. "So…you have a button, too, huh?" Elluding to his embarrassment regarding her assumption on his sexual desire.

"I suppose everyone does. You've hit it twice now." She sighed.

"So what _do_ you live for?" She asked. She saw his face and was quick to explain. "I'm not poking fun or anything. I'm really asking."

"Just…to live." He shrugged. "To enjoy what we can, while we can. I mean, we try to stop others from hurting people, but that's not _why_ I live." He bit his lip. "That's a complicated question, Ms. Grey."

"Sandra." She offered. "I think we're passed the 'Ms.' stage, don't you?"

"Honestly? No, I don't. I feel like you're throwing me your name as an apology. But I don't have your respect yet, so I'll just continue to use Ms. Grey for now."

"Don,"

"Don't." He said, wearily. "I'm naïve and hopeful, but not stupid, Ms. Grey." He said pointedly. "I'm not overstepping my bounds again, even at your invitation." He stood. "I'll go let Mikey know he can take off whenever. He'll probably want to say goodbye to O'Rourke before he goes." He started to leave and turned back. "Do you want any help with breakfast?"

"Uh…no. Thanks." He nodded and swept out of the room. "Brilliant." She muttered to herself as she went to the kitchen to begin preparing breakfast sausage and eggs over easy with toast. Much the same as yesterday morning, however, Don found his way to the kitchen again.

"Patrol went well. Nothing out of the ordinary." He offered.

"That's good news."

"I checked all the uh…patients." He smiled. "I gave Lyde and O'Rourke their pain meds and T'mana took hers on her own, so everyone is taken care of and on the mend."

"Thank you." She said, kindly.

"You're welcome." He paused. "Is it…uh…getting easier to say?"

"What? 'Thank you'?"

"Yeah." He confirmed. She took a breath as she thought.

"It is." She nodded and flipped the egg she was frying. She sighed. "I…have a lot of baggage." She began, awkwardly. "Sometimes I swing it and it hits the wrong people." He raised an eye ridge.

"I'm pretty sure you meant to swing it at me."

"Yes. But what I mean to say is sometimes I don't know who…the _right_ people are sometimes." She removed the egg from the pan and slid it onto a plate. The toaster pinged and she flipped the toast onto the plate quickly, burning her fingers. Don had his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Ms. Grey," He began. "Are you saying that I'm the right people?"

"Yes. I was…getting to that. This being nice thing is hard, so be patient." She took a breath, pleased that he hadn't spoken again. "I'm sorry for what I said in the surveillance room. It wasn't my intention to offend you. I think…I just…I don't know. I don't know what I'm saying right now. Just ignore me." She went to the other burner to flip the sausage patties.

"You're doing fine." He encouraged. "Finish what you were saying. I'm still here listening." She looked at him sidelong as if to check his sincerity.

"I think…maybe…I misunderstood you…because…of…well, because of…" She huffed. "You're not going to save me here?" He shook his head, smiling softly.

"You don't need to be rescued. You're doing fine." He repeated.

"Okay." She said, gearing herself up again. "I think what I'm trying to say…is that I assumed," She was pleased with that word, 'assumed'. It fit perfectly. "That you would be like…other …men…that I have…known." She ended lamely. He seemed to be waiting for more. Didn't he realize how difficult that was for her?

"But…" he supplied. "Now you understand that I'm _not_ like them?"

"Right." She agreed and emphasized with her spatula.

"So…" He ventured. "You don't think I'm a sex crazed egotistical male?"

"No." She agreed again.

"Excellent."

"And I don't think that about your brothers, either." She added on her own.

"Well…I can't speak for my brothers." Don grinned wickedly and leaned on the counter. She realized that T'mana was right. He was so quick to forgive and move on. She found that it didn't make him weak in her eyes, but strong. Yet she also knew, if she kept pushing him away, he would learn his lesson and just stop trying. And Sandra was disturbed by this thought. By his potential distance.

"Uh-oh." Sandra said. "I know it isn't Leo we need to watch out for. My money's on Mikey or Raph."

"Hmm." Don agreed. "I think it's Mikey. Raph's uh…well…he's always been more distant." He shrugged and then picked a sausage on a plate and popped it in his mouth. "This'll be my plate." He grabbed it under her mock withering stare. "I'm so hungry." He explained and he popped another one in his mouth and chewed quickly.

"So Raph, the surly one, you know, like me? He's distant?" Don nodded his agreement with her.

"Yeah." She followed his suit and leaned on the counter, then took a bite of a sausage.

"So, that's weird, huh?"

"No." Don shook his head. "He's always like that."

"But I mean…doesn't he want to see Lyde again?" Don froze at the question.

"Uh…well, we have a lot on our minds now…" He tried to explain.

"He doesn't, does he?" She understood now. "Oh, wow. He's doing what I would do. What I _have_ done." She pushed the plate away a little bit. "He was holding her hand, you know."

"Yeah, I uh…saw that." Don cleared his throat and straightened up a bit. "He's never done that before. I think…well…I think it kind of…"

"Freaked him out?" She offered. Don made a non committal gesture. "Ah, well."

"'Ah well'?" Don huffed. "What, 'oh that's okay, he's just a mutant?"

"No…'ah well', she's got a boyfriend so it's probably for the best?" She explained.

"Oh. I…well…oh." He ended lamely.

"Yeah. I called Lance to let him know she was ill so he wouldn't panic. He's a fellow geek. You'd like him."

"Not all geeks automatically like each other." He grated.

"Sure. But you all have that comrade thing going on. Like we scientists."

"Hmmm, no." He disagreed. "Stockman." Was his only argument.

"Touché. So what about Mikey then?"

"Mikey? Oh, well…"

"You can tell me. Who am I gonna gossip to?"

"He's totally into O'Rourke."

"No kidding!" Sandra chided. "I mean…how into her is he?"

"Well…I've seen him have crushes before. Not many. I mean, we don't have a lot of…well…avenues. But, this is the most…dedicated?" He tested the word. "I guess, that's it. He's dedicated to her. Whether that dedication is just getting her well, or if it's deeper than that once she's better, I can't really say. But, there it is."

"Now, don't take this the wrong way, but…Mikey seems to be hot for her." Don sighed.

"No, I get that vibe, too. Mikey…is a very physical, in the 'now' sort of being. O'Rourke is lucky her knee is busted." He grinned. "Or she might have a battle on her hands. Joking of course!" He amended quickly, as if forgetting who he was talking to. "We would never-"

"I know." She held her hand up peacefully to calm him down.

"Not rapists…" He mumbled over her, somewhat horrified at his own joke.

"Don!" She caught his attention. "I know. It's okay. I'm not going to take that comment literally."

"Okay…it's just…what with what you said before…"

"Well…I wasn't referring to rape. I mean, that's blatantly offensive, not to mention a crime. I was talking more manipulative…but you didn't mean that, either." She covered when she saw his eyes getting wide with panic.

"Not manipulative." He said emphatically.

"Understood." She agreed without argument hoping to calm him. It seemed to work.

"We would never-"

"I know." She continued to agree calmly. "I'm glad you find the idea so offensive. It's way better than a casual reaction." She smiled and grabbed two forks. She handed one to Don and he took it. She began to eat her egg and then sop up the yolk with her toast. She watched as his three fingered hand deftly maneuvered the fork to spear his egg. She couldn't help herself. Before she realized what she was doing, she grabbed his hand by the wrist and brought it to her face to inspect. He said nothing for a moment, unsure if she saw something on his arm or not. When he understood she was studying him, he blushed and gently pulled away.

"I'm sorry." She said mechanically. He nodded, but didn't look at her as he continued to eat. "It's just…your hand is so…precise."

"Sorry?" That was not the adjective he had expected.

"I mean, only three digits, that's pretty limiting in our world today. But you don't seem the least bit hindered." She was staring at his hand again and he set his fork down. She looked into the distance as if remembering something. "When you were making the vaccine…it was flawless. No clumsiness or butterfingers. Just precise, fluid grace."

"Um…thank you?"

"Sorry. I'm only jealous." She scooped another mouthful of eggs.

"Jealous?"

"Yeah. Even with five dexterous digits, I manage to slosh, slam and brutalize my experiments. Not even a little delicate." She wiggled her fingers. Then he mimicked her action and grabbed her fingers gently. He peered at her fingers with the same inquisitive expression.

"You think too much." He concluded, setting her hand down since she didn't pull away, which pleased him very much.

"What?"

"You think too much." He repeated shamelessly. "I've been watching you cook this whole time with fluid movement. But you're carelessly cooking and talking with me. When you experiment, I think you agonize over the details and end up hindering yourself more than helping yourself." He bobbed his head side to side in comedic thought. "This can be applied…everywhere in your life." He smiled.

"Hmmm…Freud." She said and took another forkful of egg.

"He was into dreams…and moms." Don scrunched his eyes in disgust making Sandra giggle. Don's face broke out into a dazzling smile that reached all the way to his eyes at her laughter.

"See! Another man…twisted. And you wonder…" She was joking, but could see that Don's smile took on a wary quality. She would have to tread lightly with him on this topic. "Eat up before it gets cold." He went back to his eggs and so did she. "So…" she ventured into calmer waters. "What's on the docket today?"

"Just patrol really. And brainstorm."

"Brainstorm?"

"Yeah. Trying to figure out a way to take out the mercury without using Lyde. Raph is...well…pissed. But more than usual."

"I thought he wanted distance."

"Sure. Including keeping her out of our fight. He doesn't want her back down there any more than the rest of us."

"Because he does or doesn't like her? I'm confused."

"He likes her but he doesn't want to. He won't admit it, but does. I'm sure her having a boyfriend will make it easier on him, actually. He won't have to come up with some ridiculous reason to not see her."

"Well, he'll still see her, of course! After everything he can't just not come back and see her!" Don took a breath.

"I think that's his main objective." He informed. "Raph…isn't very…personable. But we're working on a way to make her safe, so he does…you know, care in his own way." It was odd because she knew that she and Raph were very like minded, so Don's words regarding Raph could also usually be directed at her.

"Well…maybe he'll realize that having a friend won't hurt anything. Right?" She looked to Don for approval.

"Right!" He agreed with a smile.

"How's your shoulder?" She gestured to his bandage. He looked down at it.

"I think it's good. I might not wear the bandage tomorrow. Let it get some air." Sandra walked around the cooking island and moved to touch his shoulder. She saw Don tense and she froze.

"May I?" She asked. He hesitated, but he did nod once. She moved her hands delicately as she removed the bandage. She stared for a long moment. "Not to brag, but this looks really good. It's not even a little red. Or is that um…normal for…I mean…"

"We get red when our skin is irritated." Don explained without rancor. Her one hand rested on his bicep as her other inspected the stitching. Her touch was light and didn't cause him any pain.

"Then I would leave the bandage off now. Put antibacterial cream on it before you sleep, but leave it open." She threw the bandage away and stepped away from him. "Does it hurt a lot still?"

"Not so much. But I'm not back to sparring yet."

"No…that's smart of you."

"Congratulations." Don smiled.

"What?"

"You just said something nice." She allowed herself a smile as she went back to her breakfast, hoping she now had a new friend.


End file.
